Kill la Kill: Life Fibers and Death Strings
by Knight Of Balance
Summary: Takes place between Episode 3 and 4. A new Transfer Students comes to Honnouji Academy, changing the course of the lives of everyone in the school. Especially a certain fiery heroine. RyukoXOC, JakazurneXOC, UzuXSatsuki. Rated M for swearing, violence and (eventual) sexual themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Ch.1: The Second Transfer Student**

**Knight Of Balance: Hey, guys! How's it hangin'? For those of you who were waiting for me to update my Pokemon fanfic: Sorry, I started watching Kill la Kill had got some good inspiration for this fanfic. This will follow the same basic storyline as the anime, but with different events here and there and original chapters.**

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It was a nice, cool day at Honnon City, Japan. The air from the sea was fresh and salty, the sun rained down the light that gave even the saddest individual hope for the future, and the citizens couldn't help but smile.

Especially one individual: A seventeen year old boy with red hair in the front melding into orange in the middle and the yellow in the back. His surprisingly alert, sharp violet eyes looked down at the kind old woman who had handed him an apple free of charge with a shining kindness.

"Thank, miss." He said coolly, bowing at her before walking toward the No-Star cable cars that would take him to his new school: Honnouji Academy. As he did, he chomped down on the fruit greedily, making some of fragments fall onto his rather unusual outfit that covered his lean frame: A pitch-black uniform that seemed to absorb all light, which clashed with his deathly pale skin, that had dark purple lines running across the outside of his arms, legs, and the middle of his torso. On each side was what appeared to be an eye made of fire and a grey zigzag in front of his stomach like a mouth. The outfit shivered as the crumbs fell on it.

"**Watch how you're eating that!" **The outfit demanded at his wearer within the boys mind.

"Sorry, Hokai." He apologized, wiping the crumbs from him. He looked around the slumps of Honnon, wrinkling his nose at the conditions, thinking of how no human should live in such unsanitary conditions, but waved the thought away as it wouldn't do him any good He didn't even have time to finish that thought when a young boy whipped from around the corner, circled around him and ran away with a quick apology. Before he could get far, as quick as lightning, he took back the wallet in the boy's hands and pocketed it.

"The hell?" He exclaimed.

"Can't get the drop on me," He told the young boy, playfulness surfacing in his voice as he hopped away with a smile. He made it to the No-Star cable car just as it was departing. As he got on the car and finished his fruit, he heard someone scream:

"Stop that car!" Looking behind him, he saw a girl his age that closely resembled the boy from before leaping at him. She crashed into him, sending them over the edge of the platform before he even knew what was happening. As they hit the ground, the car drove away. Slow it was, they were both so stunned by the collision that they didn't even noticed it until it was long gone.

"Dang," He swore, getting up from the sudden attack. As he did this, the girl looked for longed at the empty cable track. She held out a hand toward the top of the track.

"Come back," She moaned, reaching out at the top as though she could grab the cable car and bring it back. After getting up, the boy held out his hand to her. "Oh, thank you." She said to him as she was being pulled up, "Haven't seen you around here before," She continued, looking him up and down in her usual weird way, "Are you a transfer student?"

"Yeah," He said, unfazed by her inspection, "The name's Yokaiko Shigami."

"Mako Mankanicho," The girl greeted, thanking the hand that pulled her up and shook it up and down, "What brings you to Honnon City?"

"A friend of mine sent me a letter a week ago, inviting me to attend Honnouji Academy." He told her, "He used to be my best friend before he came here, so I decided to trust him and come here."

"Why wouldn't you?" She asked, getting in his face.

He averted his eyes from her, "I've got my own personal problems with Honnouji."

"Understandable," She agreed, taking a quick glance at her watch, "Crap! We're gonna be late."

The boy raised an eyebrow. His friend did say that being late to Honnouji wouldn't end well, and it would really hurt his reputation if he was late on his first day. Plus, he wasn't one to leave a lady in trouble. With that in mind, he squatted down and said, "Get on."

"Hm?" Mako questioned.

"I said get on," He repeated, removing the sword sheath from his back and strapping it to his waist.

"Okay," She said, getting onto his back with him huffing slightly at her weight. Bowing his legs, he said to his uniform, "Ready, Hokai?"

"**Ready." **He responded, sending a surge of strength.

"Who are you talking to?" Mako asked a split second before he launched his legs, moving faster than any normal human. "YAAAAAAAHOOOO!" Mako screamed, feeling a rush of adrenaline race through her body as the wind rushed through her hair, her carrier grunting as his body was strained under the burst of power that propelled him. Even after so long possessing Hokai, Yokaiko was still surprised by the power he gained from him. Nor was his body ready for such a burst of strength, as he felt his energy fade away, consumed by Hokai.

Still, it was worth it as they made to the top of the city where Honnouji Academy resided. Upon reaching the entrance, he skitted to a halt and let Mako off, panting deeply from the massive strain on his body. "Wow, you're super fast! We, I gotta run or else they'll make me scrub the school top to bottom again. Boy, that sucks."

"What?" He panted, unsure he heard that right.

"Bye!" was all he got as she ran off to her class.

"**You know," **Yokaiko heard his uniform say to him as he tried to regain his breath, **"It's not good for your body to move at such a speed without synchronizing. Especially on an empty stomach!"**

"Don't give me that lecture. If I hadn't hauled ass, we would've both been late."

"**A point you have there," **Hokai commented, **"So it would be a shame for all that effort to go to waste if you were to be late for, I don't know, taking too long to catch your breath?"**

Giving the fiery eyed uniform a dirty look, he took the hidden advice from him and dashed off to his classroom. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX When he arrived at Class 2-A, the homeroom teacher, Aikuro Mikisugi, gave him a bored look introducing him to the class, "Class, we have a new student," He looked over at me we have a new student," He looked over at me, "Introduce yourself." "Okay," He said, a little off put by his indifferent attitude. He turned toward his fellow students, who looked at him expectantly. "Hey, everyone. My name's Yokaiko Shigami and I come from North Kanto. That's really all I can say about myself." "Good," He scanned the room, looking for an empty seat, spotting one behind an eager-looking Mankanicho. "Take that one." The teacher insisted. Yokaiko looked at the chair's sleeping neighbor. "This should be interesting," He muttered, walking up to the seat. The girl turned around the instant he sat down. "Hey, you're that guy from before!" She exclaimed, smiling at him, "Nice to see that we'll be seeing more of each other!" "Cool," He said, smiling at the girl's hyperactivity, it was always refreshing to meet such cheery people. Soon, the teacher resumed his speech on Benito Mussolini, which Yokaiko tried his best to listen to. Unfortunately, at this moment, Mako decided to take a nap. "Um, Mako?" He said, reaching out to shake her shoulder. "Don't bother," The girl next to Mako said, catching his attention. He saw that she was a beautiful girl in a tomboyish way without an ounce of makeup on her smooth, pale skin that was framed by her dark hair with a single red strand. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye with clear blue irises. "The name's Ryuko Matoi by the way." "Thanks." He said, looking back at the teacher, who droned on about fascist Italy. "Is he always this boring?" "Nah," She answered, giving him a joking look, "He's actually worse if you're alone with him." "I'll take your word for it." Yokaiko said, returning the look to Ryuko with a faint smile. A few moments of conversation and they could already tell that they were going to be good friends. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX At lunchtime, Mako and Ryuko sat outside of the school, along with their new friend Yokaiko, eating their lunches. "Man, your mom makes the best crochets." Ryuko stated, taking a bite of her packed food. "Yeah, she sure is!" Mako replied, eating her food with such gusto that it made Yokaiko smile despite his surprise. His eyes drifted toward Ryukos's uniform, an odd number made of black cloth with red mixed in and a single warm-colored eye which, in his opinion, seemed to glare at him. "Creepy," He commented. Having heard this, Mako asked what was creepy. "Her uniform," He told the amber-eyed girl, "It looks like it's staring at me, and not in a nice way." "Oh, that's Senkestu!" Mako said, grabbing a hold of the uniform and showing it to him, despite the wearer's protests. "He's Ryuko's uniform and really the only clothing she's got-" "Mako, shut up!" She yelled, trying to rip Senkestu from her grasp. "-She talks to him all the time cuz she's so lonely. Kind of creepy too if you ask me-" The rest of her talk was cut when Ryuko slapped a hand over her friend's mouth.

"Is she always this talkative?"

"More than I care to explain." She said. Yokaiko gave a small laugh, "Sorry I said anything." With her own grin, Ryuko removed her hand from Mako's mouth, saying, "Don't worry about that." As if sensing the mood lighting up, Senkestu's gaze was moved away from the newcomer to his uniform, who returned his gaze. The two articles of clothing gave the other a suspicious look. "Hmmm," They said uncomfortably at the other in unison. Before they could wonder why their uniforms were so uncomfortable, a blinding light flashed in their eyes. "_I'd know that light anywhere,"_ Yokaiko thought to himself. "Satsuki." He swore. True, the Student Council President Satsuki Kiryuin herself had descended from her high and mighty throne and walked among the lowly peasants of Honnouji Academy. Seeing this, Mako grabbed the sleeves of her friends and forced them down, the last thing she wanted was for them to get in trouble. Satsuki walked down the schoolyard, ensuring everything was functioning properly. As she passed them by, Both Ryuko and Yokaiko glared at her, their feelings turning to rage against her. Not wanting to be in her presence, he rose up from his forced blow, despite the warnings and protests from his friends. "What are you doing?" Mako whispered at him, "You'd better return to bowing or else."

"Sorry, Mako, Ryuko. I'm not bowing to her." He told them before walking away just as Satsuki was leaving. Noticing his disrespectful words and actions, The Student Council President drew her Bakuzan blade lazily and slashed at him. Ryuko moved to draw her own sword to deflect the attack. But, quicker than them both, Yokaiko drew the sword on his back and blocked her attack with the blade, showing it to be a a black blade that shone with a dark light, edged in purple.

"You know," He commented, striking her blade back. "If you want to beat me, then attack with everything you have next. Not with those wimpy amateur moves."

"I see that now," She said, matching his glare with her own. Sheathing her blade, Satsuki moved away, thinking to herself, _'Was that...?'_

"Stupid bitch," He commented, storing his blade. The girls looked at him, pretty amazed at how well he blocked Satsuki's attack. "What?" He asked, seeing their stares.

"I can't believe you were able back one of Kiryuin's attacks that easily." Ryuko commented.

"Hmph, it was easy to deflect that attack," He told her, "She wasn't even trying to hurt me."

"Really? How did you know?" Mako questioned.

"I've got good eyes," was all he said, beginning to walk back to school.

"Wait, aren't you going to eat?" Ryuko asked.

"Nope."

"Why?" They pushed. The boy avoided their eyes, but the single look she got from him was more than enough for Ryuko.

"You don't have one, do you?" She guessed, and judging from his shocked look, she was right. "Why? Didn't your parents make you one?"

"Don't got any." He answered, "I'm an orphan."

"So, what happened to your parents?" Mako asked, gaining her a glare from her taller friend.

"It's okay; I'm fine talking about them." He assured her, "Even before they abandoned me, they weren't good parents. Barely ever saw them or see spoke to 'em. Hell, I practically raised myself and even my little brother."

"You have a little brother?" Mako said.

"Yeah. Honnouji Academy's currently processing his paperwork in Northern Kanto, so he's not here just yet. Anyway, when I was ten, when we were walking back from school, I found a note on the door from our parents. It said that they were taking a trip and they probably wouldn't be coming back."

"Harsh," Ryuko said, thinking of her own family problem with her father, which seemed kind of miniscule in comparison.

"Sure." He said, never really giving it much thought, "It really didn't matter. You see, they still paid for schooling, as it's required by law, so we stayed in the dorms there for a few years. Living there was really nice, since I had enrolled myself in the local kendo club to pass the time. At school, I met the best friend I could ever ask for, quickly bonding over our mutual love of kendo and a mutual respect for each other. He looked after my little brother when I couldn't; stood up to bullies that messed with me, and even invited me to move in at his parents. I refused, but it was still really nice of him. We even became as close as brothers. Sadly, things ended at the end of middle school, when Satsuki came and took over things. He joined up with her to become stronger, but I refused. I couldn't stand even being near her. So, we dropped out of touch for a couple of years until he contacted me, telling me that he got me accepted into Honnouji Academy."

"Your parents didn't mind?"

"Didn't care since tuition was waved. So, my paperwork was filled and I came here while my brother stays behind in Northern Kanto for a few days since his paperwork got messed up." He ended, with a loud growl coming from his stomach.

"That's so sad," sniffled Mako.

"Not really." He contradicted. Ignoring him, she took a hold of her lunch and started stuffing her food down his throat, despite his protests. Not surprisingly, he started choking, causing Ryuko to pull the Heimlich maneuver to save him. After coughing up bits and pieces of mystery meat from his lungs, Yokaiko told her, "While I appreciate the sentiment, please don't do that again."

"Okey-dokey!" She yelled, giving him a salute. At this, both Ryuko and Yokaiko laughed. This cute moment didn't last long as something hard hit itself at the back of Ryuko's head.

"Ow!" She cried out. Whipping around, she saw a group of One-Star students wielding wooden swords standing behind a woman in a Two-Star kendo uniform with short red hair and yellow eyes wielding a sheathed blade with a golden handle. Yokaiko gave the new girl a quick look over, surprised at how well she held herself: The perfect balance between relaxation and preparation.

"What the fucks your problem?" She yelled at the Two-Star, taking out her Scissor blade from its case.

"What is that?" Yokaiko asked, pointing at Ryuko's blade.

"That's Ryuko's super-awesome, deluxe ultra-weapon: The Scissor Blade!" Mako explained, making a big deal of her explanation.

"Okay," He said, having more questions than answers now.

"**Ryuko," **Senkestu warned, feeling her blood heat up.

"I repeat, what's your fucking problem?" She said.

"My name's Shekia Kahedo, President of the Kendo Club" The girl said, the kanji for her name appearing below her, "And I'm here to beat you for dishonoring Lady Satsuki."

"Is that so?" She said, giving the girl a confident grin.

"Correct. Of course, it would be improper of us to fight on school time. So, we'll face off after school in the Kendo school training arena. Agreed?"

"Sure thing," She agreed, lowering her sword, "It doesn't matter where I beat you."

"You'll be eating those words," She told her, telling her fellow club members to fall back to school.

Yokaiko looked at Mako, "This school has a kendo club?"

"Yeah, and their leader is the regional champion two-years running." Mako said, "I thought she would be taller."

He ignored the last comment and walked up to Ryuko, "What was that about?"

"Personal things," she told him, "I got a bone to pick with Kiryuin and she'll only let me fight her if I beat all the Club Presidents and her Elite Four first."

"I see," He said, "Even so, you should probably reschedule your fight with that Club President."

Ryuko narrowed her eyes at him, "Why?"

"Mako just told me that the kendo Club President happens to be the regional champion two-years running. You, on the other hand, have no experience in kendo, I'm guessing, and would not stand a chance against such a skilled opponent"

"How would you know? You've never seen me fight!" Ryuko pointed out.

"True, but I know that kendo is a powerful style of sword fighting and without proper tutelage it would be a very difficult battle for you. However, I can teach you how to stop it, if given enough time." He told her, his cool voice getting serious.

"Yeah, well I don't need or _want_ your help." With that, Ryuko stormed, leaving behind a sadden Yokaiko.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her." Mako promised, running off with her friend.

"**You do know that girl's wearing a Kamui?" **Hokai told his wearer.

"I suspected it, but didn't assume." He told him.

"**Then why worry about it? The Kamui will give her strength far greater than that woman's Two-Star shit piece."**

"Because strength isn't everything." Yokaiko countered, walking back to school.

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During the rest of the day, Ryuko gave Yokaiko the cold shoulder; unwilling to talk, look and all around acknowledge his existence. When the final bell rung, Ryuko began making her way toward the kendo club practicing arena when Mako stopped her, "Wait, Ryuko. We need to talk."

"What's up?" She asked her hyperactive friend.

"Well, it's about Yokaiko."

She narrowed her eyes at the mention of his name. "What about him?"

"Well, I think you were a little tough on him earlier. He was just trying to help you out."

"**She's right, he was looking out for you. And it was particularly foolish to accept that challenge considering that we have no prior information on her." **Senkestu pointed out, despite his suspicions about his uniform.

"Shut up," She whispered, smacking him for good measure. She knew that Yokaiko was trying to help, but shecouldn't let something like that get in the way of her revenge. Soon, they made it to the practice area, where a crowd was already gathered, excited and whispering amongst themselves. "What is everyone talking about?" She wondered, pushing her way to the front of the crowd seeing what they were talking about: The kendo Club President was standing across from Yokaiko!

"So, let me get this straight," Shekia said, tapping her blade sheath on the floor, "You can here to challenge for the sole purpose so that Matoi can't."

"A little over-simplified, but essentially yes." He told her.

"Man, you'll go to great lengths to get laid, won't you?" She deduced, making Ryuko and Yokaiko recoil in horror, she was WAY off. The kendo user looked Yokaiko up and down, licking her lips at such a specimen, "No need to try so hard, you could get any girl you want."

"We're here to fight, not talk about my love life." Yokaiko said, drawing his sword from his back as frustration arose slightly in his cool voice.

"Right," She said, leaping toward him with her sword aimed at him. Right before she hit him, Yokaiko vanished and reappeared on the other side of the crowd.

"What?" The club president said, looking behind herself in shock. Her abilities in kendo where second only to Uzu Sanaygeyama of the Elite Four! How could this nobody even see her attack, let alone dodge it so easily. Out of rage, she lunged at him over and over with him dodging each attack with ease. Every time she got close, within striking range, he vanished and reappeared on the other side.

After the sixteenth strike, Yokaiko commented, "I think I may have overestimated you."

"What?" She yelled, swiping particularly hard, only for him to do his thing.

"I had heard of your reputation as a kendo champion," He said, making her look at him, "And I'll admit your blows are powerful and your pose is decent, but nothing special. Your accuracy is low, however, and your defensive abilities and sub-par at the least. Now that I think about it, I had nothing to worry about: From the short time I've known her, Ryuko would most definitely defeat you." Ryuko heard this and smiled at the compliment, feeling her initial anger at him fade away. Shekia, on the other hand…

"That's it, I'm done fucking around!" She yelled, tearing the sheath off her blade, revealing a pristine sliver blade and lunged at him with all her strength, "YOU"RE DEAD! NO ONE, NOT EVEN A THREE-STAR, COULD SURVIVE THIS! "

"Good thing I'm not a Three-Star." Yokaiko said.

"**Showtime." **Hokai said.

"**Death String Synchronization!" **They yelled in unison. Suddenly, a burst of wind shot out from them both, knocking Shekia out of the air. From the dark uniform came several black, sludge-like tentacles wrapped themselves around him, creating a mass of churning black sludge that floated in the air. After a few moments, a black-armored arm shot out of the mass with five clawed fingers, then a similarly armored leg. At that moment, the mass was forcibly expelled, showing Yokaiko in a suit of demonic looking black armor on his arms, legs, upper torso and lower regions. On the torso part was a pair of eyes composed entirely of fire which glared down at Shekia and a row of teeth on the bottom of the torso and the top part of the lower regions, giving the look of a maw from a devil covering him. **"Kamui Hokai Bound!"** He announced, still holding onto his blade. The entire crowd, even including Ryuko and Mako, stared at the new set of armor that was covering Yokaiko, feeling an aura of dread and darkness emanating from him. But the part that concerned Ryuko was what he had said.

"The hell are Death Strings?" She whispered, looking at the new Kamui while hers shuttered at his appearance.

Despite the new set of armor, Shekia was unconcerned. "You think donning a new suit of armor in some crazy fashion is going to be enough to scare me off? As if! I'll kill you either way!" Drawing on every ounce of energy she had left in her body, she leaped toward him, yelling "Taste the attack that should've ended you earlier! Kendo-Style: Sliver Evisceration!" With that, she lashed out against her opponent, hitting him dozens of strikes against his armor with her blade. Even though each attack could cut concrete like butter, the attacks bounced off the armor harmlessly.

"Like a said before: Pathetic." He repeated, drawing his own sword from its sheath as she kept attacking and struck a battling pose, "Finishing Move: Bladed Frenzy!" He knocked the sliver blade from Shekia's hands and, before she could even blink, sliced her uniform into tiny shreds, leaving her panties and bra intact. Feeling all of the men's eyes trained on her, Shekia ran away, screaming vengeance at him as she left. Unknown to anyone, a single red was sucked into the armor, turning purple as it was absorbed.

"Whatever," Was all he said about the threat, sheathing his sword and returning back to his normal form. Everyone clapped their hands in congratulation for his win, Mako ran up from the crowd and embraced him in a bone-crushing hug.

"That was so amazing how you totally whooped her butt," She exclaimed, "By the way, how come you transformed even though you were winning."

"To show her the difference in our strength and to scare her off in case she comes after you or Ryuko." He told her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the fore mentioned girl looking at him crossly, "Speaking of whom…"

"I'll admit, I was pretty tough on you earlier, seeing as you were just looking out for me, and I appreciate you standing up to that woman."

"Thanks," He said, only for her next words to be punctuated by her Scissor Blade being pointed at his Adam's Apple.

"However, for future reference: I fight my own battles." She finished, deciding to confront him about his Kamui and Death Strings later.

"Understood," He told her, moving the"And if I might be totally honest, I was hoping for a good kendo match. Sadly, I was mistaken."

"I'll say," A confident, masculine voice rang out. All of the students in the arena looked to the right, where the voice had come from. The source? A most unexpected person.

Uzu Sanageyama of the Elite Four.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch.2: Friend or Foe?**

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Uzu Sanageyama, former reprehentive for the Northern Kanto Middle School Alliance and current Physical Activities Director of Hononuji Academy, stared across the kendo club's practicing arena at the group of three with a smirk.

"Sanageyama," Ryuko swore, leveling her blade in his direction. If there was anyone she despised as much as Satsuki, it was her lap dog Sanageyama: That smug bastard made her first few days at Honoonuji Academy hell and seemed now he seemed to be intent on making this day hell for her.

"Sup Matoi," He said to her nonchalantly, spiting the look of utter rage directed at him. He started walking toward them.

"Oh, so you wanna fight?" She growled at him as he came closer. "Then I'll give you the fight of your life!"

"Quiet, Matoi," He told her, bonking her on the head slightly with his shina as he passed her by and walked up to Yokaiko. The two swordsmen stared at each other for a moment, a look of absolute seriousness on their faces before smiling and embracing the other.

"Good to see you again, Uzu-bro." Yokaiko said, friendly patting the back of his friend's Three-Star Goku Uniform. Meanwhile, Matoi looked at the two guys in shock seeing how close they were.

"Same thing, Yokaiko-bro," He replied in kind, breaking the hug, "Good to see your sorry ass made it here in one piece. Honon City can be pretty tough."

"Like I'm not?" He asked jokingly, humor shinning in his violet eyes.

"I didn't say that," Uzu countered humorously.

"Excuse me if I'm interrupting your little gabbing fest," Ryuko said in the fakest sweet voice she could muster, "but: HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW EACH OTHER?!"

"She a friend of yours?" Uzu asked his friend who answered with a nod.

"Her and Mako over there." He said, jabbing a finger at the stationary girl at the edge of the crowd.

"What'd I do?" She asked, having not paid a single bit of attention to the conversation.

"Nothing, Mako." He told her. Having been side-stepped, Ryuko got extra angry and started swinging her blade around.

"TALK. NOW!" She demanded.

"Okay," Yokaiko said, "Ryuko, though I'm guessing you've met before; this is Uzu Sanageyama, the friend I was telling you about earlier. The one who had me transferred from the school in North Kanto."

"Wait, he's the one who got you enrolled here?" She asked suspiciously.

"Yeah," He answered, "Is that a pro-"

Before he could he finish his sentence, he found the Scissor Blade aimed at his throat for the second time today. "I should've known: You're working for Kiryuin aren't you?"

Upon hearing the woman's name, the fiery haired boy's nose wrinkled, "I'd rather be thrown to hyenas drenched in rancid blood than work for that bitch." He told her.

"Like I'd believe a lie like that!" She shouted, "You just admitted to being best pals with one of her lackeys!"

"Listen if you can with that tiny brain of yours, Matoi," Uzu started, making her redirect her anger at him, "Yokaiko-bro and I became friends long before I even met Lady Satsuki and trust me, he's as much a friend of hers as you are. In fact, the whole reason we haven't spoken much in the past three years is because I'm working with Lady Satsuki and kind of fell out of touch. So you can stop worrying about that."

"I don't believe you." She said. Slowly but surely, Yokaiko tossed his blade at Ryuko, who caught it with her reflexes, "Huh? What are you up to?"

"Kill me." He said, putting his hands behind his back.

"… What?"

"If you honestly think I'm a spy for that Satsuki bitch, then cut me down. You'll get no resistance from me, Uzu, or Hokai. And since you have my sword, there's no threat of counterattack." He reasoned calmly, as though negotiating the price of a car.

"**What're you thinking?"** Hokai asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

"Trust me." Was his answer, his eyes never leaving Ryuko's.

The sword-wielding female looked at him at him, trying to discover what angle he was playing from. **"Ryuko," **Senkestu said.

"Yeah, what?" She said.

"**I don't think you should kill Yokaiko." **He told her.

"What? Didn't you hear what he said? He's buddies with that ass Sanageyama." She retorted.

"**True, but that doesn't mean he's friends or even allies with Satsuki." **He pointed out, **"He helped out Mako, outwardly showed disrespect and disobedience to Satsuki and even fought on your behalf today. I don't think even a spy would do this and risk so much to get close to you."**

"But what about his Kamui and Death Strings?" The blue-eyed woman pointed out, "Even his sword reeks of suspicion since it can apparently shred Goku Uniforms like my Scissor Blade."

"**All the more reason why he doesn't work for Satsuki," **Senkestu said, **"I'd doubt she'd let anyone who works for her have a Kamui or wield a blade like his. As for the Death Strings business: I can't say I've heard of them so what makes you think he knows any better? You hardly know a thing about Life Fibers and you're wearing me."**

Ryuko growled. Damn it, Senkestu was right. Yokaiko probably wasn't a traitor with that much evidence against it. With a regretful frown she tossed the blade back to its original owner, "I believe you," She said, "but not completely so don't try anything."

Yokaiko sighed in defeat. Great, his first friend at Honnouji Academy and she didn't even fully trust him. "Fine then. I'm glad we got that out of the way." He looked over at Uzu, "Speaking of getting things out of the way; what exactly is my living conditions?"

"You know, I have no idea," He said, thinking about it, "I'd offer you to stay at my place, but I don't think Lady Satsuki would approve. And there aren't any available houses in the No-Star District."

"I know! I know!" Mako exclaimed, shaking her hands in the air, "He can come live with me and Ryuko!"

"Mako!' Ryuko said, grabbing her collar and pulling her close, "I just said that I don't trust him and you go and invite him to live with us!"

"Ryuko, that's exactly why he needs to come live with us!" She said, "If he really is a spy, then he won't be able to plan anything fishy if we're always around. And if he isn't, then you two can get over your trust issues!" Without hearing her objections, Mako turned toward her new friend, "What'd ya say?"

"I don't think it's a good idea, " Yokaiko said, "as Ryuko doesn't have the best faith in me…"

"Please?" She begged, giving him the ultimate, unstoppable weapon: The puppy eyes! "Think of it as returning the favor from getting me to class on time today?"

'_God damn me,' _he swore, "Fine."

"Yah-ho!" Mako cheered, excitingly telling him about her family while Ryuko sighed. As he was walking away, Uzu whispered in her ear.

"Should anything happen to Yokaiko-bro, I'll make you wish you were never born."

"This day keeps getting better and better." She moaned.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

AT the Mancancho household, The heads of the house were giving the new member of house with usual warm welcome as they ate their dinner.

"Glad to hear you'll be staying with us from now on!" Barazo said, slapping the back of the flaming haired lad. "It'll be nice to not be outnumbered by the woman again!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" chilled his wife, giving her back alley doctor husband a glare.

"Nothing!" He cried out in attempt to save himself.

"Good," She said, returning to her normal, sweet self. "Though I do agree with my husband that it's a pleasure to have you staying in our humble home."

"Thank you for your hospitality," Yokaiko said, bowing to the matriarch of the family.

"Enough talk, let's eat!" Mako's little brother yelled, digging into his food.

_'Isn't that the kid who tried to mug me this morning?'_ He thought to himself as he watched the boy eat. He looked down at the bowl of mystery food soup before taking a sip of it, making his eyes widen at its taste. _'What is this? It's so, so, so-"_

"_Good." _He moaned.

"That's right! My mom's cooking is the best in the whole world!" Mako said, seeing how much he liked the soup.

"A truer statement has never been said." He agreed, now eating the meal with gusto. (Not the dog.)

"Hey, I remember you!" Mataroi yelled, "You're that guy I tried to mug today!" At hearing this, Mako grabbed her little brother and pulled him into as painful wrestling lock while leaving a hand free to eat her food.

"What'd I tell you about mugging people instead of going to school?" She warned, pulling at him with all her might.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He pleaded, both hungry and in pain. Yokaiko smiled fondly at this display of sibling love, it having reminded him of his own clashes with his little brother. He found it amusing and comforting that no matter what, be it gender, age, or even regional differences, that sibling relationships were basically universal.

"Ryuko, if you wouldn't mind, could you please stop glaring at me?" He asked the girl to his left, "It's souring my food."

The dark-haired girl was taken back. How did he know she was glaring at him? He hadn't even looked in her direction for the whole meal! She averted her glare for the moment but threw them again throughout the meal.

After everyone was done eating, Suyuko picked up their plates and began cleaning them with Yokaiko playing the part of her assistant, even despite her objections.

"I insist as a guest in your home." He told her, his cool voice having a steely edge to it to enforce the fact he wasn't taking no as an answer.

"Very well," She conceded. As the two washed the dishes the best they could with weak soap and barely any hot water, the mother asked the young man, "So, would you care to tell me why Ryuko was glaring at you?"

He looked at her, a cool grin on his face, "I see no reason as to why not. She glares at me because she is suspicious of me."

"Oh my, that doesn't sound like my Ryuko. Why would she do that?" Suyuko said.

"She has good reason to," He told her, "I'm friends with the Elite Four member, Uzu Sanageyema, and so she thinks I'm a spy despite telling me otherwise."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." She consulted, "But that does make me wonder: Are you a spy?"

"Of course not. Uzu-bro might be a brother to me. But I despise Satsuki with every fiber I have within me."

"Why?" She asked, handing him a plate to be rinsed.

"Look around you. The system she created, the power she uses to uphold it, and the way in which she created has brought people nothing but pain and suffering to good people like you and benefits worthless trash that kiss up to her." He said crossly, "Unfortunately, that's simply how the world works."

"I see," she said, sad to hear someone so young had such a dark view of the world, "You know, the world isn't as bad as it seems. True, it can be rather dark at times, it has so many good points that make it worthwhile."

He looked at her in amazement upon hearing her words, "That's… a good way to look at things."

From that point, they cleaned the rest of the dishes in silence. Once everything was cleaned and put away, Suyuko grabbed a few of her husband's clothes and handed them over to Yokaiko to change into pajamas.

"Sorry we don't have anything else for you to wear." She apologized as he inspected a shirt that was three times his size.

"It's perfect," he said, faintly hearing Barazo, his son and their dog howl from upstairs. Taking the clothes thankfully, he walked upstairs to get ready for bed. "You know, I think I'm gonna like living here. Everyone seems really nice and helpful."

"**Hell, they didn't say a thing against you randomly coming in and staying with them."** Hokai mentioned gleefully.

"Yeah, they're good sports." He agreed. Upon reaching the bathroom, he opened the door to be greeted by a most unwelcome sight (though this is rather debatable): a naked Ryuko.

"FUCK!" They screamed. Ryuko grabbed the nearest item, a vase, and threw it at Yokaiko, who quickly averted his eyes and ran away as quickly as he could from the furious and angry girl and into the bedroom.

"God damn," He panted, trying his very best to get the image of his maybe friend's wet, smooth, athletic, naked body out of his mind. A fruitless effort on his part.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After changing into his pajamas, Yokaiko was fully prepared to go to bed. Until he heard the sleeping arrangements.

"I'm sleeping with Mako and Ryuko?" He exclaimed, breaking his cool and controlled demeanor in exchange for a panicked one as he wagged his sword sheath around.

"Yep!" answered Barazo, clutching his broken nose.

"But, isn't there another place I can sleep?" He begged. He couldn't sleep with Ryuko, especially after the incident with the bathroom.

"Sorry, we don't have a whole lot of space." The father said.

"… Can I sleep on the kitchen floor?"

"Very funny. Now, get some sleep." Suyuko said, pushing him into the room with the two girls with a wool blanket, a dirty pillow, and his Kamui on a hanger.

"Guess I'm bunking with you two." He said, shrinking slightly under the glare of Ryuko.

"I guess so!" Mako said, unaware of the tension from the two, "I'd love to stay up and talk more, but if I'm late again I'll be in big trouble. So good night!" She flopped onto the bed, immediately falling asleep with Ryuko following suit on the floor, not before giving him a quick glare. Keeping his head turned away from her, Yokaiko hung Hokai and his sword up next to Ryuko's Kamui and promptly took the slab of floor farthest from the fiery girl and tried his best to get some sleep.

But for hours, sleep eluded him like a snake in tall grass, despite how much he tried to find it. At about midnight, he heard Ryuko say, "Hey, Yokaiko, you awake?"

"Not on purpose," He said.

"Listen, I wanna tell you something."

He gulped, feeling a scathing coming, "Shoot." He said anyway.

"I don't fully trust you," She said, confirming the obvious, "And under normal circumstances, I would've hurled you out the window in your sleep."

"Is that all?" He asked, only silently joking.

"Just shut up," She growled. As if this wasn't hard enough for her. "But Mako and her family seem to like you, so you can't be all bad even if you're one of Kiryuin's lapdogs." She heard him growl at the mention of the name, but decided to press on, "So, I want to tell you why I'm after her. Why I can't take chances with someone who might stab me in the back."

Yokaiko looked at her. Was, was she opening up to him? "The reason why I'm after Kiryuin, why I came to Honnouji Academy was that I'm trying to find who killed my dad."

He blinked, taken back by this revelation. Even more so when she continued talking, "I'm not going to go into detail about how he died, but I think Kiryuin knows who did it, maybe she's the one who did. My dad was a scientist, so we didn't have the closest relationship, but still he was dad, so I need to find the killer to at least know why he died."

"I see," He said, "Have you talked to Mako about this?"

"No, and I'd prefer it if you didn't tell her." Ryuko admitted, "The last thing I want is her pity."

"Then why'd you tell me about this if you did want pity?"

"You don't seem like the pitying type." She admitted.

"Well, I guess since we're talking, I may as well tell you why I'm friends with Uzu."

"Because he looked after your brother and stood up to bullies for you?" She said, recalling what he had earlier that day.

"Yeah, but you don't know the half of it." He said, "It began on my first day of school at Nothern Kanto…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Flashback_

_A ten year old Yokaiko walked down the halls of the middle school with a nine year old following close behind, obviously his little brother, walking together since the elementary and middle schools were located in the same building. The younger child looked around the school nervously as though he would be attacked at any moment._

"_Tenshi-bro, quit worrying." Yokaiko said, "I know it's your first day of school, but you don't have to be so nervous."_

"_Yokaiko-bro, I don't think some of the kids here like us." The little boy said, sticking close to his brother, "Did you see those looks they were giving us?"_

_In fact, he did. Behind their backs, a lot of their classmates had been making fun of them due to their parent's absence in their lives. The thing was, a few of the more influential and shady people had been giving them evil looks last night when they were unpacking in the dorms. Even so, they couldn't let the jerks get to them._

_So caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the group of boys in front of him until he bumped into the leader of the group, a snake-like person with dark eyes and hair, making him stumble back a few feet. "Sorry," He apologized._

"_Well, you shooould be," The leader hissed, looming over his newfound prey, "Heeey, you're those two brothers that moved into the dormitories. What's wrrrrong? Mommy and Daaaddy didn't want your sorry asses around anymore?"_

_A normal kid would've spat back a retort and started a fight. Yokaiko, however, had never really been a child, so he knew better than to antagonize him. As such, he simply dragged his brother his brother away from the group of iffy individuals. However, this only angered the leader, who ordered his cronies to surround the brothers._

"_Yoooou ain't getting away that easily." The snaky guy said, looming over him._

"_Listen, we don't want any trouble," Yokaiko told him._

"_Too bad, buuub," The guy said, looming over them further, "You shoulda thooought of that before bumping into me. Now, me and my felllas are gonna teach you a few manners."_

"_Manners? I said excuse me," He told him._

"_And you think that excuuuses you from the consequences?" The guy asked as him and his pals closed around them, "We're gonna ssshow you the error of your ways, the fun way."_

"_You can't just attack students out of the blue." Yokaiko said._

"_Oh yes I caaan. My dad's on the Board of Directors so if anyone even thinks of stopping me, theeey'll get fired faster than a bullet from a gun. And who would risk their asssss to save a couple of brothers that not even their parents wanted?"_

_The violet eyed boy grunted, thinking of only one plan. "Tenshi? I want you to run to class while I fight these guys off."_

"_What?" The young boy exclaimed. He knew his brother was tough, doing exercises regularly, but he was outnumbered five to one!_

"_Don't question and just do it!"He yelled, swinging a fit at the nearest boy. His fist connected to his jaw and knocked him onto the floor. The gang looked from their fallen comrade to Yokaiko in frustration. He looked behind himself to his brother, "Now, run!"_

_Nodding fearfully, Tenshi slipped between the boys and ran as quickly as he could from them, crying at the knowledge his brother would be beaten within an inch of his life. The leader watched the boy run and looked at Yokaiko sadistically, "So, you intend on fighting us alone to buy your little brother some time?"Judging from the grim determination on his face, the leader was right, "Good, then I'll just pay him a visit after I'm done with you!"_

_Blood boiling hot upon hearing the threat toward the only family he cared about, Yokaiko threw another punch, putting all of his weight behind it. Sadly, one of the boys, who more resembled an ox, caught the punch and returned it into his jaw, nearly breaking his jaw. He flew to the ground, clutching his throbbing jaw while the leader lorded over him victoriously. He gave a swift kick to the boy's abdomen, making a small amount of blood cough from his mouth. The leader kept kicking his downed opponent while he and his puppets laughed and the rest of the student body simply ignored as another act of violence from the influential boy._

_All except one, they would soon find out as a wooden sword found it's mark in the back of the biggest guy's back, driven with such force that it took him down. Standing were the ox-like middle schooler was another student a year older than Yokaiko with black hair styled in a pompadour and dressed in a black leather jacket. He wielded in his hands a bamboo sword used for kendo practice with another on his back. So surprised by this turn of events that they hesitated long enough for the boy to help Yokaiko onto his feet._

"_Thanks," he coughed o him gratefully._

"_No problem." The boy said in a self-confident tone, giving him a thumbs-up, "I saw how you were fighting these guys just so your brother could get away. I have to admit, that's gutsy."_

"_Thanks," he repeated, smiling despite the pain in his system._

"_I also saw that you were holding back, taking a beating just they'd leave you two alone. Also gutsy, if not a little dumb." The newcomer said, "The name's Uzu Sanageyama by the way."_

"_Yokaiko Shigami," He said in turn, shaking his hand. At this moment, the leader snapped back to attention._

"_Who do you think you are, ? If my dad hears about this-" He threatened._

"_Let me tell you something," Uzu chilled, glaring at the serpent, "My mom's pretty important too, as the head of the police. If she found out about your dad illegally using his power to protect you, he'd be jailed for years!"_

"_Y-y-you're mom's the head of the police?" He studdered._

"_That's right! Now, I can go home and tell her all about today, with my good friend here as proof," He said, pointing at Yokaiko, "or you can drop this whole thing and never harm another student here! Do I make myself clear?"_

"_Yes, sir!" He replied, retreating with his cronies quickly. Uzu looked back at Yokaiko._

"_There, they won't bother you or your brother again."_

"_Once again, thanks Mr. Sanageyama."_

_The kendo user laughed, "Man, you got a shinai up the butt, don't you? How about I walk you to homeroom?"_

"_Sure, I'm in 206."_

"_No kiddin'?" He asked, "I'm in 206 too!"_

_Yokaiko laughed slightly, "Some would call this destiny."_

"_I wouldn't say that either. Too weird." Uzu agreed, walking with him in the dawn of a new friendship._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"...And that's how I met Uzu." He finished. Ryuko looked over at where he laid, surprised by the story. She never pegged Sanageyama as the protective type. Having heard more about it, she wasn't surprised that he refused to abandon that friendship even after he joined up with Kiryuin. After all, it kind of reminded her of her first meeting with Mako, who, like Uzu was with Yokaiko, her first friend.

"How were you in Sanageyama's class if you're younger?" She asked.

"I skipped a grade and moved into middle school." He answered, "I would be in the final class here in Honnouji but they insist that everyone stay in their age groups." She blinked at hearing this, a little surprised that he was smart enough to skip a grade, "Well, we should get some sleep. It's gonna be hell tomorrow.'

"Yeah," she agreed, falling asleep. Yokaiko smiled upon hearing her snore. He could sense he was regaining her trust, even if only by a speck. He still had a very long ways to go before they could call each other friend.

But, somehow, he knew it would be a worthwhile excursion.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Knight of Balance: And that's over and done with. So, who saw Uzu being the friend? I hope somebody did, as I kept mentioning that Yokaiko was from Northern Kanto, like him. And so, I'd like to leave you with one last request: Review if you liked it! I'll probably work on my Pokemon fanfic next. Bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch.3: No-Late Day**

**Note: I'e updated the other chapters to rectify Yokaiko's age. He's now the same age as Ryuko but still met Uzu in the same grade due to advance placement.**

**Time: This chapter takes place three days after Chapter 2. Also, Hokai and Senkestu can talk to each other.**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

While Ryuko slept peacefully in her bed, she heard a familiar voice call out to her within her dreams.

"**No," **she heard Senkestu plea with an unknown assailant, **"Please, no more. NO!" **He screamed, being cut into pieces.

"Senkestu!" She yelled, awaking from her dream. She looked around the room, searching for her Kamui. As she did so, she heard a siren blare in the distance.

"Crap!" Mako exclaimed, waking up instantly and getting dressed as quickly as her body would allow, "Ryuko, Yokaiko, Wake up, we're late!'

"Calm down, Mako. It's like 4:30." She quelled. The red-streaked girl rubbed her eye sleepily as she looked over at the sleeping boy, who slept like a sick baby.

"**Ryuko!" **She heard Senkestu call out. Running to the backyard, she saw what was making her clothing scream so loudly and so pitifully: Suyuko was washing her uniform.

"Oh, good morning Ryuko." The mother of the household said, scrubbing Senkestu thoroughly with a washboard and a bu. "I'm just washing your uniform. It's really surprising how dirty it is."

"Oh, thanks." She moaned, hearing Senkestu mutter a few unkind words in direction of his captor, who hung him up on the clothesline.

"**Lord, things couldn't get worse," **Senkestu commented.

"**I've been through much worse, so quit bitchin'," **Senkestu heard a dreadful voice. Can't believing his horrid luck, he looked over to see his fellow Kamui, Hokai, who was hanging next to him. **"Sup, Mosquito."**

"**You! What the hell are you doing here?" **Senkestu growled at him. Even after three days together, neither Kamui liked or even tolerated the other out of a mutual dislike, driven freom clashing personalities and some primal feeling that neither one could explain, a feeling that made them edgy around one another. It didn't help that the day after they met Hoaki gave Senkestu the nickname 'Mosquito.'

"**Same as you, getting washed. Though I'd admit the female's got quite the job ahead getting the stink out of you, Mo." **Hokai commented, chuckling at his joke. Until Senkestu decided to bite him in the arm that is. **"Youch! The fuck was that for?!"**

"**For calling me a blood-sucking parasite!" **He exclaimed, getting in the darker Kamui's face.

"**You. Suck blood. To survive!" **The demonic article of clothing replied, somehow spitting all over Senkestu despite having no spit.

"**Stop spraying all over me!" **Senkestu yelled. To spite him, Hokai let out a fiendish roar, spraying more impossible spit all over the sailor uniform. The two uniforms snapped, snarled, growled and bit at each other like a pair of dogs, all the while Suyuko and Ryuko watched the fight.

"Amazing how the wind makes it seem like their fighting." Suyuko said as Hokai bit Ryuko's uniform in the arm, in turn for his earlier attack.

"Sure," She said, "But, I'd really like it if you gave me my uniform-"

"But I'm done cleaning it yet!" She chirped, whacking Senkestu with a brush, making him tear up. Hokai laughed at this but karma got him back when she smacked him next, though he didn't tear up, "Huh, seems like it needs wrung out." Suyuko said as she examined Senkestu, making him chant the word **"No!" **like it was his savior.

"Well, maybe I should help you." she asked.

"No!" Suyuko declared, wringing Senkestu out roughly, "You and Mako are students, so your jobs are to learn."

"**Ow!" **Senkestu cried out, being wrung again.

"And my job as a housekeeper so do the laundry." She continued, wringing out Senkestu extra hard, making Hokai laugh until his seams started splitting, "Now, you and Mako need to get moving."

"But it's only 4:30," She repeated, only to be dragged away by Mako, who yelled something about going to school in her pajamas as she dragged her while somehow managing to grab her Scissor Blade as they left.

"**Ryuko!" **Senkestu screamed, being set down on an ironing board and a hot clothes iron on him, **"Hot!" **He screamed,** "Hot! Ho-Oh, oh that's nice. The wrinkles are disappearing. Feels so good."**

"**Fucking masochistic parasite," **Hokai spat at him before thinking of something, **"Wait, did they just leave for school?"**

"**Uh?" **The Kamui said, feeling a little drowsy at the sensation of ironing, **"I think, maybe?"**

Hokai's flaming eyes widened, **"Shit! Yokaiko, Wake Up! You have to get to school double time!" **He yelled out to his still slumbering comrade, who was sleeping silently but deeply.

"**I don't think he can hear you," **Senkestu said, thoroughly enjoying the dual pleasures of ironing and pissing off Hokai as he screamed in frustration.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile, Both Ryuko and Mako were met with a mass of all the No-Star students, moving toward the Academy with solemn looks as they ran out the door. The girls, having not seen them, fell into the migrating students and wiggled out of sea of bodies, finding safety on a nearby and oddly convenient bed.

"What's with the all the No-Stars?" Ryuko asked, pulling herself and Mako to safety.

"Oh, them?" She asked.

"Yeah, why are they looking so solemn?" She said. True to what she said, the vast majority of the students had incredibly serious expressions on their friends.

"Because today's a day that every No-Star fears, a day of reckoning for all of us where we must fight for the right to live here." Mako said with a sudden seriousness in her voice, "The time of the year that all, from No-Star to Two-Star, fear: No-Late Day!"

Ryuko looked at her friend blankly before saying, "What?" in a confused tone. The crowd moved up toward a grand stage, where Ira stood with his usual on top of a tank-like vehicle along with several members of the Disciplinary Committee below him.

"**Students of Honnouji Academy!"** Ira called out in his usual deafening croak that made Ryuko leaped to her feet, "As you all know, today is No-Late Day and will be one of the toughest in the Academy's hist-**WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU WEARING WOMAN?**" He roared, seeing Ryuko in her pajamas, which sadly quite a few of the male population and a select few of the women took a picture of. The clear blue eyed girl quickly covered her tight-fitting outfit in embarrassment, seeing as they were actually Mako's and barely fitted her.

"My Kamui's in the wash, sue me." She defended.

"**IRREGARDLESS!" **He yelled, making everyone else but Ryuko cower. **"**That is not a proper excuse for such a slovenly outfit, though I'll admit it's an improvement over your God forsaken Kamui!"

"Excuse me," Mako said, standing before Ira defiantly, shocking him, "But she was asleep only a few minutes ago, so of course she's in her pajamas."

"Where'd you come from?" He asked, looking around to see how she made it up there.

"Everyone wears pajamas when they sleep, don't you?" She continued, ignoring his question.

"I actually sleep in the nude." Ira admitted frankly, making a few people gasp.

"But if you sleep in the buff, then you'll catch a cold and won't be able to work your best!"

"Uh," He said, feeling a little trapped. Ryuko watched on with slight amusement when Yokaiko, who was also dressed in his pajamas since his Kamui was also in the wash, came by with his sword strapped to his back. He looked at Ryuko with a drowsy look in his cool expression, his normally alert eyes hazy and unfocused.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Mako's arguing with the head of Disciplinary Committee." She replied.

"Not surprising." He said as Mako and Ira finished their argument.

"In light of Mancanchou's point, I have decided to overlook your outfit for today." Ira informed, "But I'd like to see how you expect to make it to school today without your Kamui." He taunted before turning his attention back to the student body, "As I was saying, today is No-Late Day and will be one of the toughest in Honnouji Academy history. You will begin your commute at 5 o' clock, traversing a special route designed by the Disciplinary Committee, myself included. Your objective is to make it to school before the first bell tolls at 8:30 sharp. Anyone late to class shall be expelled from Honnouji Academy and evicted from their home."

The newer students gasped at this while Ryuko growled angrily and Yokaiko's eyes suddenly became more alert and focused than ever. "Isn't that a little too extreme?" The two asked.

"It's called life, deal with it." Was all Ira had to say as he pulled out a remote with a single red button. Pressing it, thousands of roads lined with spikes appeared from within the slums, making one giant road that lead all the way to the top where the school laid. "Behold, the Disciplinary Committee's road of death, filled with thousands of deadly traps that even the most brilliant could not imagine!"

Mako gapped at terror inducing obstacle course. She looked at her friends expecting the same only to see Ryuko smirking at it as though running it would be mildly amusing and Yokaiko looking more determined than she had ever seen him. "Guys, we have only three and a half hours to get to school."

"Piece of cake." Ryuko said, pulling out her Scissor Blade while took off his own sword but kept it in his sheath. "Okay, Mr. Disciplinary Committee Chair, I'll beat your stupid course and show you!"

"**Is that so?" **Ira yelled, his blood starting to boil, **"Students, Your commute begins NOW!"**

The herd of No-Star students charged up the stairs at the first checkpoint with the trio leading the charge. Suddenly, they felt the ground beneath them shift and flatten, creating a ramp that all the students slid on and crashed into the ground. All expect for three.

"Damn, that was close." The bigger of the two girls said, having escaped the trap by stabbing her sword into the ground and used it to keep on the ramp. Yokaiko on the other hand used his sword to leap into the air and to safety at the first checkpoint, where the girls quickly met up with him. They all slapped their hands down on the button, seeing the number of checkpoints left.

"999 checkpoints!" Mako exclaimed, wilting under the pressure of so many traps to converse. "That's even more than normal!"

"I doubt it's as bad as it seems." Yokaiko said with Ryuko nodding in agreement. Suddenly, he felt a presence behind, so he whipped around and aimed his blade at the incoming person: A girl their age with messy brown hair and red eyes wearing a cast and sling over her left arm. She stumbled around, bumped into Ryuko and whined as she fell.

"Hey, it's Maiko Ogure!" Mako said, identifying the girl quickly as a member of their class, "What happened to her arm?"

"I broke it on the trap below," She said, getting to her feet. As she did, Maiko looked at the trio as the only male strapped his sword onto his back, "Hey, you're Mako Mancanchou and the two transfer students, Ryuko Matoi and, uh,"

"Doesn't matter who I am," He said as he inspected her cast, "There's a more pressing matter. Getting ourselves to school, that is. Will you need some help getting there?"

"No, I'd only slow you down!" She exclaimed, attempting to get to her feet.

"Okay, have a nice life." Ryuko said, making both of her friends look at her. When Makio cried out in pain, the girl sighed and slung her over right shoulder, "I admire a girl trying to be tough," She told Makio, making Yokaiko smile at her and Mako scratch her head. She looked up to the next trap, seeing it to be something out of the mind of a madman: a loop-de-loop ramp without any seeable handles.

"Well, that's not good." Yokaiko commented.

"No shit," Ryuko agreed, "If only I had Senkestu, we'd clear that easily."

As they transversed the trap, using the spikes to hold onto and leap to, Barazo Mancanchou zoomed through the streets with his son, dog, Senkestu and Hokai in the back (A fact that neither one of the earlier two was happy about) as he drove past pedestrians.

"Out the way unless you want two tons of steel up the ass!" He yelled with his son jumping in as well. He looked up and saw them hanging for their lives, yelling out, "Hey, Ryuko, Yokaiko! We got your uniforms!"

"Thank god, you're a life-saver ." Ryuko said while a gleam was cast over Makio's eyes as she was on her back. Suddenly, the pain shot through her body making her lose her grip and begin to fall to her doom.

"Ugh, I can't hold on!" She cried, with Ryuko begging her to hold on. She did so, grabbing the top of her pajama bottoms, revealing her pink and white striped panties to the world. Upon seeing this, the Mancanchou family men drooled and gapped at the sight while Yokaiko looked away with as red a face as Ryuko. Eyes away from the road, they drove into another car, flew out of the windshield and into the nearest house and Streetlamp in Barazo's case.

"**Watch were you're driving!" **Senkestu yelled before looking around the slum, **"Where's Hokai?"**

"**Up here!" **He called, up from a telephone poll. Upon seeing Senkestu snicker at his misfortune, he screamed, **"Very funny, Mo!"**

"**Serves you right!" **He called out gleefully at his rival.

"Dad. Dad!" Mataro yelled, shaking his bloody father.

"Mataro, is that you?" He said, lookin at him weakly, blood and pain blurring his vision, "I need to talk to you, man-to-man. I can't go on, so I need you to take this uniform-" He said, holding up Senkestu.

"Gotcha ya, Dad!" He yelled, taking sailor uniform, "I'll get this to Ryuko as fast as I can!" With that, he stole a nearby bike and rode away.

"**Hey, dumbass! You forgot me!" **Hokai yelled as the boy rode away. **"Shit, he's gone. Well, I guess I have to make it to Yokaiko by myself." **With that, his body began to deteriorate, losing more and more of its form as a men's uniform until it became a giant mass of living black sludge, as tall as a man, with a pair of fiery eyes and a set of fiendish teeth. **(A/N: If you need a visual aid, think Venom from Spider-Man fused with Number 96: Black Mist from Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.) **With that, he hopped away, latching onto building to building to find his wearer.

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The gang kept traversing the gauntlet of traps, almost hit by wrecking balls, spiked balls, and missiles and now an avalanche of house-sized boulders.

"Crap!" Ryuko yelled as a boulder almost smashed her left foot. Luckily, not all the rocks were house-sized. Some were small enough that both Ryuko and Yokaiko were able to slice them away with their swords, but they were far outnumbered from the much larger stones that had to be dodged. All four of them hauled ass as fast as they could, finally making it to the end of the trap and to the next checkpoint.

"God damn it, how many more of these things are there?" Ryuko said, painting hard. They stumbled forward, physically exhausted and worn out. Alas, the next trap was sprung that moment.

"Gah!" The group screamed, jumping out of the way as a panel of spiked metal slammed down on where they were. Ryuko scooped up Maiko and they made for dashed as fast as they could, pouring every ounce of power they had in their legs to just stay ahead of the traps that fell one after another behind them.

"What the hell was Satsuki thinking when she installed this trap?" Yokaiko asked, huffing and puffing to keep ahead of the slamming death behind him. One of the traps scrapped across the back of his leg, causing a small gash to appear and pain to rocket through his body. He gritted his teeth and played through the pain, but it did make him slow down a touch, enough for him to just barely avoid death each and every time the trap came down. Ryuko noticed this and grunted in frustration, wanting to help but was unable to since she was holding Maiko. While he was running, Yokaiko's foot bumped into a pebble in the road making him fall to the ground. As he struggled to his feet, a particularly sharp looking trap fell from the sky, plummeting toward him.

"Shit," Yokaiko said, seeing the trap descend upon him. Ryuko saw that he had fallen and raced to help him, but knew she wouldn't make it in time. Just before the panel could squash him, a giant mass of black sludge leaped from a nearby building, onto the ground before him, reformed into the shape of Hokai and stopped the panel with a pair of tentacle forged arms.

"Hokai?" He said, recognizing his friend as the mass of blackness and sludge.

"**HEEEAVYY." **He grunted, struggling and buckling against the force of the machine above him. Seeing this, Yokaiko quickly scrambled out of the way, allowing the Kamui to slide out of the trap and reformed into his clothing form.

"Good to see you finally made it." Yokaiko jabbed at his uniform who at him growled in response.

"Hey, weren't you with Senkestu?" Ryuko asked Hokai, making the Death String being snort.

"**That piece of shit," **He growled with Yokaiko giving a quick albeit cleaned up translation, **"He abandoned me when that numbskull Barazo crashed that rusted junk pile he calls a car. Think he went riding away with that pea-brain Mataro."**

"Crap," Ryuko commented, knowing she couldn't keep up this pace much longer without Senkestu's help. Making a quick decision, she quickly set Maiko down and grabbed Hokai, changing into him despite Yokaiko's objections and warning. Which stopped instantly when she took off her pajama shirt, making him quickly turned away with a dark blush across his face as she finished changing into the other Kamui, looking rather weird since he was specially fitted for Yokaiko, a boy almost a whole head taller and was quite bigger than her. "You ready to transform Hokai?" She asked him.

"**I'm not gonna bother trying to warn or discourage you from using me," **Hokai said, **"Since you can't hear me. So, I'll just show you why this will never work." **Suddenly, he morphed into his battle form, covering Ryuko's upper torso, upper arms, lower regions and legs. Although the transformation fitted Ryuko, the Kamui seemed sick, looking queasy rather than fearsome since his form took on a sickly shade of grey. **"Uh. I don't feel so good." **He moaned, his fiery eyes turning a pale green **"There's something funky about this girl's blood."**

"Alright!" She yelled, unable to hear him. The dark-haired girl picked Maiko up ran off as quickly as she could, ready to conquer the course in front of her. Mako quickly followed behind, her natural energy kicking in as she ran into danger with their friend following them, carrying Ryuko's pajamas as he rolled his eyes.

A few minutes later, Ryuko panted heavily as she raced through the trap, the armor upon her body felt like it was made of lead as a barrage of bullets rained down on her and her friends. The armor did its job protecting her, but each time it bounced off her the armor grew even heavier. Barely alive, she slapped her hand down on the check point before collapsing in a pile. Mako and Yokaiko arrived shortly after her, looking down at her and Maiko as Hokai shifted back into uniform.

"I should've mentioned," Yokaiko said as Ryuko glared up at him, "Only I can properly wear Hokai. He can't truly synchronize with anyone else. If someone else does wear him, it would cause too great of a strain on the person. Hell, I can't use too much of his power without damaging myself."

"Fuck…Off…" Ryuko panted as Hokai slid himself off of her and onto him. He closed his eyes with a blush on his face for the third time that day as he handed her pajamas back to her.

"I did try to warn you," He said, "But you wouldn't listen."

"Shut up." She swore at him.

"Hey," Maiko said to Yokaiko, drawing the taller boy's attention, "About that whole thing with Hokai, how he can't be worn by anyone else. Is that true for all Kamuis?"

"No, I don't think so," He said to her, "Hokai is different from Ryuko's Kamui, Senkestu. They're made from different materials." He narrowed his eyes at her, "By the way, how did you know that they're called Kamuis?"

"Just something I heard," She told him as a mysterious glare appeared across her glasses as Ryuko picked her up and ran off to the next checkpoint.

'_I don't like that look on her face.'_ He thought to himself as he followed him.

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Ira walked into the headquarters of the Trap Committee, having just arrived from his look over of the student body to ensure no one was acting out of turn. He saw the clever, smart students working diligently to push the Academy's students to their limits. He walked over to the place where the leader of the studnets would usually reside. As he did, the big man shuddered. He absolutely hated the leader of the Trap Committee; she was such a slimy, sneaky little snake of a person. And this was coming from someone who regularly spent time with Nonon Jakuzare. When he got to the spot, the leader's chair was empty and her scale model of Honnon city, usually littered with the ideas for traps, was empty as well, except for a single top on the tip of the model and a note on her chair which read 'Top Dog.' With a frown, Ira left the room, having a bad feeling about this.

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The gang hopped from stone to stone as they traveled through the water trap, making sure to keep a close eye for the alligators that lurked below. Yokaiko, wearing Hokai Bound, fought off the predators that rose from the water to snap at his friends, smacking them with his sheath.

"Damn it, this is ridiculous!" He said, hitting an alligator between the eyes that had snapped at Mako, "Whoever's in charge of traps must've been drunk, high or just plain stupid when they thought it was a good idea to fill a water trap with alligators!" Hearing that, Maiko glared at her.

"Well, I disagree." Maiko said through gritted teeth. Just then, Mataro rode in on his bike with Guts and Senkestu in the basket in front of him.

"Hey, Ryuko!" The pre-teen called out, "We got your uniform!"

"**Well, it's about time you should up Mosquito!" **Hokai called out with his rival telling him to fuck off. At this time, Maiko began to slide off of Ryuko's back and toward the carnivorous waters below.Desperate not to die, she grabbed a hold of her friend's bottoms, stretching to reveal her underwear once again. Seeing this, Yokaiko turned away quickly while Mataro and Guts fixated on her undergarments, so much so that he repeated his father's earlier accident crashing into another phone pole.

"**Goddammit! Why can't anyone in this family look where they're going?!" **Senkestu yelled.

"Guts?" The dog said to hid pre-teen master.

"Guts, is that you?" Mataro asked as blood leaked from the various holes in his hand, "Listen boy, I'm not gonna make it." He grabbed Senkestu who was nearby and held him up, "So I need you to take this and get to Ryu-"

"Guts!" The dog yelled, somehow grabbing the uniform despite a lack of thumbs, "Guts Gut Guts!" He told his master before running away with Senkestu screaming at him to be gentler.

Later, the gang rested on a pillar outside of the One-Star District, resting up before traveling through yet another gauntlet of traps. As they rested, Mako looked at the time displayed on the tower below her, moaning upon seeing it, "Oh no. There's only fifteen minutes until school starts!"

Ryuko grunted, "If I had Senkestu, we would've made it to school a long time ago." She glared at the armored male next to her, "Can't you be a little more useful?"

He looked at her with a cold, factual look, "Listen, if you're asking me to haul the three of you on my back, I can't do that. Hokai doesn't work the same as Senkestu: The more power I draw from him, the greater it damages my body. The strain from hauling you three on my back, no matter how light you are, would kill me." Ryuko frowned while he looked up at the school looming above them, feeling the wind brush through his hair. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization, "Ryuko, Mako, Maiko: Take my hand."

"What?" They asked him.

"**Where are you going with this?" **Hokai asked him.

"Just trust me." He said to them. Reluctantly, they all joined hands wondering what he had in mind. Sure that he had a firm grip on his friends; he began twirling around and around gaining more and more momentum. As he spun around, his friends' vision began to blur as they got dizzy. After a few minutes of spinning, he let go of their hands, launching them into the air, straight toward the Academy.

"I'll meet you at the top!" He yelled out to his friends. Looking at the road before him, filled to the brim with traps, he groaned. "This is gonna hurt," He saw an armored car roll down the road, the traps bouncing off its hull, "Unless…" Yokaiko trailed, drawing his sword.

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The group of girls landed, well _crashed_, at the entrance of the Academy, skitting to a halt on the ground. Ryuko got to her feet and dusted herself off before yelling at the entrance of the school, "Thanks for nothing you ass!"

"Wait Ryuko, We're at school!" Mako said, pointing to the building ahead of them, "We made it!" She yelled, grabbing the two girls next to her in pure joy, making her friends smile at her.

"Yeah, we sure did." Ryuko agreed, slipping out of her head lock and looking at her new friend, "Ain't that right Maiko?"

"Yeah, Ryuko." She said with a smile.

"Yay! We're all friends!" Mako yelled, locking her friends in a headlock once more.

"Guts!" called out a certain perpetually hunger hound. From the entrance came the Mancanchou family dog, dashing in with Senkestu in his mouth.

"Hey, Guts arrived with your uniform!" The hyper brown-haired girl said, waving to her dog.

"Why is Guts bringing him?" Ryuko asked while Maiko regarded the dog with an unreadable look.

"Ooooh, the pain!" She yelped suddenly, failing to the ground. As she did, the red-eyed female 'accidently' pulled down her pajama bottoms **(A/N: *Rolls eyes*)**, making the dog's nose spout blood at an alarming rate. Slipping on his own bodily fluid, Guts began spinning out of control stopping only Maiko shoved her shoe in his face and snatching the uniform from his jaws.

"Uh, Maiko," Mako said, as her cast unraveled to unveil an undamaged arm, "Why did you shove your foot in my dog's face?"

"Hehehe," Maiko laughed, her once innocent looking face morphing into a look of malefic triumph, "Foolish girl, I am no mere No-Star student. I am Maiko Oogre, Head of the Disciplinary Committee's Trap Division!" She declared, the usual bold red letters showing her place and name in the scholl. "I'm a shadowy figure, working behind-the-scenes to expel students such as you and Matoi!" She looked over at Ryuko who gave her the evilest look she could muster, "But I'm bored of that life, so repetitive and boring day after day making traps and baiting people. But, you see, I had no way of escaping. That is, until I saw your battle with Lady Satsuki. Seeing the power of a Kamui, I decided to steal one for myself and rise above the rank of No-Star to queen of the school!"

Filled with utter rage and contempt for the person she thought she was her friend, Ryuko drew her Scissor blade, growling like an angry lioness, "You bitch, I trusted you. Now I;m gonna make you wish you were never born"

"You're the one foolish enough to trust anyone at this school!" She told her. Suddenly, the area went dark and a spotlight shown on Mako from nowhere while a disembodied voice called out "Hallelujah!"

"Maiko!" The girl said, "Give Ryuko back her uniform! Wear that uniform and transforming into a half-naked fighter is Ryuko's only joy in life! Sure, things get pretty weird when she starts talking to it, but you'd be pretty weird too if you only had one set of clothes. So please Maiko, give back Senkestu!"

The little snake gave her naïve classmate a condescending look, "No can do. I've put too much at stake for this." With that, she took off her clothes and put on Senkestu, immediately transforming into his armored state.

"What? How the hell did she master Life Fiber Synchronization so fast?" Ryuko exclaimed.

"**I'm sorry Ryuko," **Senkestu apologized, **"Maiko, she has no shame."**

Maiko shrieked victoriously, "If it means rising to the of the food chain, then I'll glady get as naked as the day I was born. Oh, I can feel the power flooding throughout my body. Now, who to use it on?" Ryuko lifted her sword, expecting her to attack her first. Instead, Maiko leaped at Mako first, fist drawn back for the kill. Before she could get close enough to actually harm her, Maiko left a giant shadow loom over her. Looking up, she saw the shape of the beaten, shot and blasted One-Star bus above her before said veichle slammed into her, making her fly and crash into the ground in front of Ryuko. As the driver side door fell off, Yokaiko thumped out of the bus, dusting himself off.

"That was pretty fun," He commented before noticing Maiko wearing Senkestu as he untransformed. Seeing this, he walked over, took the Kamui off of her and handed him to Ryuko, "Here"

"Thanks," She said, beginning to change into the uniform making the boy close his eyes, "It's a good thing you came when you did. Turns out that bitch Maiko was tricking us, pretending to be our friend."

The boy raised an eyebrow as Hoaki reverted back into uniform, "Really? She had me completely fooled." He looked over at her unconscious body, "Guess it's a good thing I hijacked the One-Star bus then."

"Yeah," She agreed, dusting her uniform/friend off.

"**I'm sorry, Ryuko." **He said to her, **"I would've stopped her if Yokaiko hadn't intervened." **

"Sure you would've." She snarked, "Just be glad I'm not punishing you for cheating on me."

"**Considering you put that **_**bastard **_**Hokai on, we'll call it even." **Senkestu said.

"Wait, how did you know that?" She asked, truly amazed.

"**I can feel his presence in your blood." **He growled. Ryuko never heard Senkestu growl before but decided to ignore it for the time being.

"Come on, we're not in the clear yet." She told her real friends, racing them to homeroom. As they ran by, Ira stepped out of Academy's shadow before walking up to Maiko's broken form.

"**WAKE UP!" **He yelled, emphasizing it with a harsh blow from his whip. Zthe petite girl groaned as she awoke from her pain-induced rest, looking up at the towering giant before her. **"I heard everything from your attempt to steal Matoi's Kamui, especially the part about becoming the queen of the school."**

"Wait, Lord Gamagoori! I can explain-" She begged.

"**NO MORE OF YOUR SLIVER-TOUNGE!"** He yelled, **"As of this moment, for acts of treason, you are EXPELLED from Honnouji Academy!" **He drew his whip back, taking aim at the sniveling traitor below him, **"Now get out of my sight!"** Ira yelled, smacking her so hard with his whip that she flew halfway across the city, proving a viable lesson of life.

Trickery and deceit will earn you nothing but pain and suffering.

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**KOB: And that's all I wrote! If liked this chapter or the story in general, please review. You don't have to but it's very much appericated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ch.4: Punk Rock Angel**

**Knight of Balance: Sup Everyone! (Ducks as a barrage of rotten fruit, cinder blocks and Molotov Cocktails are thrown at him.) Jeez, I guess I have made you guys wait quite a while for this new chapter, huh. Well, the thing is: I got distracted by exams and video games. Also, this was a rather difficult chapter to make. I even had to delete the first draft of this chapter and rewrite it. So yeah, that happened.**

…

**Don't kill me.**

**One more thing: I've found themes for Yokaiko and his little brother. I'll list them below**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kill La Kill but if I did, I wouldn't change a thing. This anime is definitely one of the best I've seen. A lot deeper than most. At first, I thought it was just an entertaining piece of work until I realized how deep of a message it carried and how subtle it was showed.  
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Nonon Jakuezre, the sole female of the Elite Four and the president of the Non-Athletics Committee, walked down the road between the Three-Star section to Honnouji Academy, humming a short tune as she carried her books. She was in a rather happy mood today, having a good feeling about the day especially since the Interschool Band Competition was coming up tonight and president for the Classical Music Club were very confident that her club was ready to win it, all for the sake of Honnouji Academy. She was stopped in her tracks quite suddenly when some random person ran into like a bumper car.

"Ooph!" She exclaimed, falling onto her butt as her books spilled out all around the petite girl. As she rubbed her sore behind, the person who had knocked her onto the ground walked up to her and held out his hand to her.

"Sorry about that, sweetheart." The person apologized. As she was pulled to her feet, Nonon noticed that the person was a teenage boy, perhaps a year or two younger than her. The boy had long ebony hair as black as the night sky on the day of the new moon, reaching down to his knees. The dark hair contrasted with his deathly pale skin but complimented his violet eyes, shinning with humor. Unlike most people his age, who wore some form of the Academy uniform, he wore a black T-shirt that had the image of red soldiers with the words 'The Revolution is Now!' above them, combined with torn jean shorts, leather combat boots and a leather wrist band with metallic spikes. To set him apart from the crowd even further, strapped to his back was what appeared to be an ax on his back with strings on it. Nonon raised one thin, pink eyebrow at him, deciding not to scathe him for knocking her down as he was pulled up to his feet.

"Sweetheart?" She growled at him, giving him the scariest glare she could muster at the moment, fading when several members of the Disciplinary Committee came running from around the corner, eyes dead set on him with more rage evident on their faces than usual.

"Oops, looks like they caught up to me." He laughed, seeing them close in on him. Turning around, he gave her a small peck on the check before dashing away, the Security Committee following closely behind. Nonon touched the spot where the boy had kissed her cheek then stomped her foot. How dare he, some unknown nobody, kiss her, one of the Elite Four, and then run off as if it were nothing! With that, she stomped toward the Academy, unable to get the thought of that obnoxious boy out of her head.

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In the music room, the President of the Classical Music Club, a Third-Year woman with curly indigo hair named Malka, was practicing with her orchestra for the upcoming competition, thankful that there wasn't school today to allow the Musical Club members to practice. Not that they needed the practice, her orchestra was possibly the best in all of Japan, if not the whole Earth. Music flowed from their instruments so fluently it was like liquid gold to your ears, at the center of this well-oiled machine was herself, a conductor of the highest caliber, second only to the wonderful Lady Nonon herself. Right now, she displayed her talent as a leader by directing the musicians before her, conveying what section she wanted to play, how loud she wanted them and how suddenly she wanted them to play from a simple wave of her baton. The power of the conductor, the ability to command without so much as a syllable.

It all went so smoothly up until the sound of an electric guitar ripped through the air, shattering Malka's concentration like a hard stone hitting glass. She yelled over the electric guitar, now joined by the sounds of drums and a bass guitar, telling her fellow students to halt while she dealt with the intrusion. With that, she stormed out of the music room and into the next door room, also reserved for musical practice; she flung the door open, revealing a band of three No-Star boys, one short and thin boy playing the drums, a scrawny one playing the bass and a tall bulky one playing the electric. All three of them stopped playing their instruments to look at the newcomer in the group.

"Um, can we help you?" The mouse of a boy squeaked at her.

"Yeah, I'd like to know why in God's name are you playing that racket during my orchestra's practice time?!" Malka screamed at the top of her lungs, blowing spit onto all of their faces.

"We're practicing." The tall one said in a higher voice than one would expect of him, "Just like you."

"Except I have permission from Lady Satsuki to practice here since I'm in a club." She growled.

"We _are _a club!" The scrawny one said, "Meet Honnouji Academy's Punk Rock Club!" He declared proudly, with all three of them thumbing their chests in pride.

Malka snorted, "Punk Rock? You actually like that shit?" All three members of the club gasped at hearing this as if it were some form of heresy, "I mean, all that music is a bunch of lazy idiots banging on a bunch of bargain store instruments just to squeeze out a few extra bucks. Not to insult our mistress, but she must been hit on the head the day she approved your club." The members, hearing her comment, looked down in embarrassment.

"Our club hasn't actually been approved yet." The scrawny one admitted. Malka blinked a few times, processing this information a few times to grasp its meaning. Finally, she gave a screeching, condescending laugh.

"I knew Lady Satsuki wouldn't approve of that shit!" She said.

"Hold on a minute! Lady Satsuki said that if we won the Interschool Band Competition she would give her full consent for the club." The tall one said, only for the disrespectful young woman to laugh even harder than before, making her fall to the ground and clutch her stomach.

"Oh stop it! You're killin' me!" She gasped in between laughs.

"What's so funny about us winning the Interschool Band Competition?" He asked her, white-hot anger rising in his throat at her mocking of the genre they loved so much.

"Even if the _genre _you've chosen wasn't like nails on a chalkboard, _you_ have to be the worst band I've ever heard anyway. And since only a single band can win, your loss is assured." She explained with a wicked smile, having recovered from her laughing fit.

"And why, prey tale, is that?" They all asked in unison.

"Because _my Classical Music Club_ is entering!" She hissed at them, somehow looming over them all, despite the tall one only being three inches shorter than Gamagori at his normal height. She waltzed out of the room, closing the door behind her with a self-confident shake of her hip. "How could Lady Satsuki think _Punk Rock _of all genres would make a good club?" She wondered as she went back to practice, unaware of a set of ears that was listening in on her.

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The Punk Rock Club kept practicing, albeit with the volume turned down, to get better and win the competition, not just to get permission for their club to be official but so they could shove the trophy in Malka's face, showing her that Punk Rock was 'a bunch of idiots banging on bargain store instruments.' Half way through their practice, however, they heard a loud knock at the door. They stopped playing and told the visitor to come in. With a quick swing of the door, the visitor, a young man from probably one of the First-Year Classes, opened up the doorway and greeted the students.

"Hi!" He said with a wide smile on his face. The rest of the people greeted him in the same way, a little wary of the newcomer that appeared from nowhere, asking what he wanted. "Well, I heard that you guys are Honnouji Academy's Punk Rock Club!"

The band members eyes widened at hearing this. They hadn't told anyone of their new club just yet nor were they on the official register yet which brought up a question:

"How do you know of us?" The band members asked the newcomer, who gave a small guilt smile at them.

"While, I was..._walking by for a lovely stroll,_" The newcomer said, using a moment to think about his words halfway through, making the Punk Rock Club's suspicions about him increase, "And I couldn't help but overhear your little spat with the leader of the Classical Music Club." The group looked down in shame, knowing they heard how she insulted them and their music, believing it ti be true that their music was horrible, "And I wanted hear you're music for myself."

This made them perk up, "You want to hear us play?" The tall one asked him, getting a nod as the younger boy sat in the nearest chair. The tall guy looked back at his fellow musicians, who asking them silently if they should follow through with this. When the only answer he got in return was a simple shrug, telling him 'Why not?', him and his colleges got into position and resumed their practice, deciding to play 'Shades of Truth' by Bad Religion.

The newcomer watched them play the song with a neutral expression, playing close attention to the sound of the instruments as well as the sound of their voices, listening beyond the words and cords and into the heart they put into the music, the passion behind the music. Upon doing this, he frowned, having found what was wrong with their music.

"Stop, I've heard enough." He said, his jovial tone gone and replaced by a frank one. They stopped playing in the middle of the song, looking at himin surprise that his sudden change in tone.

"Um, is there something wrong Mr...?" He asked, realizing that he hadn't given his name.

"My name's Tenshi," He supplied, looking at them with fire burning with the violet depths of eyes; a fire that showed defiance and stubbornness born from a pure, genuine love of Punk Rock, "And yes, there is something wrong, With your music, that is."

The band looked up at him, moving in real close to hear what he had to say. Under normal circumstances, an upperclassmen would treat an underclassman's advice with a grain of salt and throw it out with the rest of the trash. But right now, this young nobody could be their solution to winning, or at least standing a chance in the Inter-school Band Competition and make their club official.

"You see," He began like a teacher about to give a lecture, "You guys can play the instryments very well, you have the perfect voice to sing the lyrics. But, above all else, you lack the most important thing: Passion."

The band members blinked in unison, wondering what in the world he meant by them missing passion. "But, we do have passion. We're musicians after all."

"The passion you use is a fake one, a false passion that pales in comparison to the real deal. You say the words with intensity, but the intensity is forced. You play the cords, but the notes are fl;at and dull. You say the words, but they ring out empty and hollow. The way you play, anyone can do it. Maybe not as well, but can still do so. But when you put your passion, your heart, your mind and your soul into the music, you unlock new heights of musical utopia that few can achieve!" Tenshi said, an inspiring light shining behind him as he spoke, "I know you hold this passion somewhere in you, I can hear it. All you need to do is find it and pour every ounce into it like true musicians and you'll find the true power of Punk Rock: A passionate love for fighting against the crowd and show your individuality!"

"What do you mean?!" The tall one screamed at him, "Of course we're passionate about our music! Why else would we risk rejection by proposing our club's conception to Lady Satsuki?"

"There's a difference between being passionate about something and putting your passion into it!" Tenshi countered, "When you play, you feel restrained and restricted, devoid of any passion or emotion. When you play Punk Rock, you're supposed to let loose and be yourself, celebrating and showing your individuality through song! Instead, it sounds as though you're scared to show it!"

The band members visibly recoiled, having hit a nerve. He was right, they were afraid. Afraid of their music, afraid of the message that it conveyed. If Lady Satsuki thought for a moment that they actually believed in the lyrics or the heart of the music, then they'd be expelled from Honnouji Academy for sure, if not killed on the spot. When they played for their Lady, I they left their hearts out of the music to make sure they'd be waking up in the morning, knowing that even the slightest belief in the rebellious lyrics would cost them dearly. The truth was, they loved the music not just for the sound, like they had to Satsuki; They loved it because they were sick of the oppressive atmosphere of their home and the music gave them an outlet to express their rage and frustration but it was like swapping one cage for another if they were too afraid to actually put this into their music. Tenshi sensed this and shook his head in shame, "And you dare to call yourse;ves Musicians"

The band members looked up at him, anger beginning to burn, "What do you mean?" The mousy one of the group asked, ready to throe his drumsticks if necessary.

"I mean, you dare to call yourselves musicians when you can't put your heart into the music and capture it's essence? You're not musicians, you're disgraces. I take back what I said earlier: I bet you morons couldn't play real Punk Rock if you tried." With that, he turned around to leave with the rest of the people steaming mad at him. How dare he say they're not musicians! How dare he say they can't play the music they loved so! Out of rage at Tenshi for his accusations, at Lady Satsuki for creating her fascist regime, at Honnouji Academy for giving them such horrid lives, the mousy drummer started banging on his drums, playing to the tempo of his rapidly beating heart, pouring all his frustration into it. Soon, his friends joined him in playing, not giving two shits who heard them and what trouble they would get in for speaking such words playing such a rhythm. They no longer cared about what Lady Satsuki or the Elite Four thought, all they cared about now was just letting all their bottled up emotion be released before it could fester in them any longer. So for what seemed like forever, they played and played until all their frustration was all gone, leaving only the refreshed feeling for freedom and content from letting it out after so many years. As they stood , tired and exhausted but feeling better than they had in a long time, Tenshi clapped his hands, applauding their playing.

"Splendid, simply splendid!" He cheered with a loud laugh, "Give some lyrics to that song and you've got true Punk Rock there!"

"Really?" They asked, raising their heads in hope. Did they really play true Punk Rock without even knowing it.

"Yep!" Tenshi chirped, "I could really feel your frustration and rage expressed through your playing! If you keep playing like that, no one will be able to stand against you in the Inter-school Band Competition!"

Upon hearing this, their eyes shone with hope. Was that all they needed for they to be good? Just some heart in their music? They gave each other a joyous look, joining in on a group high-five celebrating their newfound talent!

"Of course, you have to remember to not let your fear of Satsuki control your music ever again." He warned.

"Of course!" They cheered, "Anything else?"

"Yeah, one more thing," He said, smiling shyly, "There wouldn't happen to be an opening in the club, would there?"

The band members rolled their eyes, "Come on." With a happy "Yah-ho!," He ran up next to the tall bulky one , plugged in his guitar-ax hybrid and joined in on the joyous playing, already feeling at home.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was the night of the Inter-school Band Competition, an event many where waiting for a long time, taking place in the clearing of Honouji Academy. Everyone was excited for this special event, except for a select few, one in particular, who was more angry than excited at this event. He sat in his special VIP section along with the rest of the Elite Four, fuming like never before.

"What's wrong, Monkey?" Nonon asked her comrade, no doubt setting up for a snide comment, "Somebody stole your banana?" There we go.

"Bite me, Jakzure." Uzu grumbled, showing his petite classmate that he was in no mood for her bullshit today. Houka noticed this and noted it as the fifth time that the usually kinder member of the Elite Four snapped today, seeing that he was in a particularly foul mood today.

"Is there something wrong, Sanageyama? You seem upset about something." The Intelligence Chair asked. The eighteen-year old kendo lover glared at him out of the corner of his eye, knowing fully well that his concern was not for his feelings or well-being. Rather, his interest was in gather as much data as possible for precious analysis. Normally, he wouldn't have really minded this but at the moment just about anything would set him off, evident when he made a very rude gesture toward him, shocking the other three members of the booth.

"Sanageyama! What has gotten into you?" Ira roared at him, countered by Uzu with a fierce glare at him. The two of them stared each other down for what seemed like an eternity until Uzu broke the gaze, looking away with a grunt before getting up out of his seat and started walking away. Ira looked at him as he started to move, opening his mouth to question him when several One-Star students ran up to him, out of breath. Upon seeing them, the giant recognized him as members of his Disciplinary Committee, "So, have you caught the fugitive?"

"No sir," Said one of the members, having caught his breath first, "We've looked all around the Academy but have found no sign of him."

Hearing this, Ira growled and, faster than the human eye can see, lashed out at the students with his whip. "THEN WHAT ARE YOU STANDING AROUND FOR? GO OUT AND FIND THAT DELINQUINT!"

Nodding furiously, the students scrambled away to carry out his orders. Nonon raised an eyebrow at him, "Something wrong, Big Frog?"

"Nothing much," He croaked, "While we were walking to school, Lady Satsuki bumped into a dark-haired No-Star who bad-mouthed her, calling her 'Hitler's Booty Call.' Needless to say, I've been hunting him down."

Hearing this, Nonon's mind flashed back to this morning, to when a snarky No-Star had kissed her before dashing away as he was chased by Ira's men, an event she hadn't been able to get out of her head. She grimaced, contradicting the blush on her face, "Did you get a glimpse of him."

"No, I didn't. He dashed away before I could get a good look at him. But my men have so it's only a matter of time." He looked over at his female colleague, noticing the pink tint on her face, "Are you alright, Jakzure? You seem warm."

"I-I'm fine!" She assured, "Let's just enjoy the music." The other two members looked at each other, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Down in the No-Star Section, which was just a bunch of folding chairs, another was sharing in Sanageyma's foul mood. Yokaiko sat hunched over in his chair, looking rather angry as he tapped his sword sheath on the ground. Ryuko and Mako looked over at him with worry on their faces, as he had been in this mood the whole day. They had hoped bring him down to the Inter-school Band Competition would have helped in improving his foul mood, but things were looking bleak.

"Come on! Cheer up!" Mako cried, leaping at him for a hug, repelled when he shifted his gaze away from the stage and toward her. Seeing the no-nonsense look in his eyes, she hit her rewind button and sat back down into her seat, getting the message that he didn't want to be messed with at the moment. With Mako back in her own space, Yokaiko returned his gaze toward the stage once more, trying to take his mind off what was upsetting him. So much so that he didn't even notice the person walking up to them until he plopped right down next to them.

"Hey, Yokaiko-bro." Uzu said to his brother.

"Hello, Uzu-bro." The flame-haired teen responded to his kin, looking at him, "Have you heard from him today?"

"No," He growled, showing that he was obviously upset over this, "You?"

"Not one fucking word." He returned, mimicking his growl. After a few moments, the young man exploded, "God damn it, those fucking morons told us he would be here first thing in the morning and I haven't heard a single word from them about this either! If something has happened to him, I swear..." He trailed off, gripping his hand so tightly that tiny streams of blood ran down his hand. His female friends looked at him in shock, taken back by the sudden change from his usual cool-headed, peaceful demeanor to one of pure rage and fury. Ryuko, in a strange paradox of things, toke the role of the cool-headed one and began rubbing his back in an effort to cool him down. While she did this, Mako whispered to her elder:

"Hey, who are you guys talking about?"

Uzu made a quick look around to make sure no one was listening before answering, "We're talking about Yokaiko's little brother. He was supposed to be transferred here when he was but they lost some of his paperwork so he stayed behind. He was also supposed to be here today, but it seems not."

"Oh, I see." She said, thinking of how she would feel being separate from Mataro. After a few more moments, the competition began by introducing the judges, three impartial people who would give scores on how well the quality of the music was in retrospect to its genre. After this was done, the first two competitors appeared on the enormous stage, Osaka's Hip-Hop Band and Honnouji Academy's Classical Music Club. Malka allowed Osaka to go first, fully expecting a half-decent performance at best. Sadly, what she got was a bunch of out of sync musicians doing what they wanted, just banging on their instruments. Halfway through their song the judges told them to stop, unable to take any more and had them leave for their competitors. With that, they gave a gracious bow (the best part of their performance) and walked away, allowing Malka and her four member orchestra: One who played the Bass, one who play the clarinet, another who carried a harp and lastly, one who played the violin. They took their places on stage, awaiting their mistress' orders. Malka set up her podium and opened her music book to the right page. Tapping her baton, she began directing her fellow members, controlling the flow of the music with such amazing ability that it left no doubt who would be wining this round, if not the whole competition. After five minutes of demonstration, she ended it with one final swipe, cutting off the instruments, leaving the area slient for about three minutes until all the people from Honnouji Academy (Except our little group) and even a few people from the other schools clapped their hands in applause. Malka soaked up the applause greedily, boosting her ego in the process as she left the stage.

"How many of these bands are there?" Yokaiko asked to none in particular, feeling somewhat better.

"Eight," Uzu answered, his own mood lifting a little as the Classical Club was announced the winner to no one's surprise. From that moment, three more battles passed in the blink of an eye without anything interesting happening, except when a fat guy from a Barber Shop Quartet split his pants. Finally, it was time for the final match of the opening round: Kami-Kobe's Country Music Club and, to everyone's surprise, Honnouji Academy's Punk Rock Club.

"Punk Rock Club?" Ryuko said, confused.

"Yeah, I'm as surprised as you are. Didn't think Satsuki would approve of such music." Yokaiko agreed.

"No, what's Punk Rock?" She corrected, making Yokaiko look at her in wit slight surprise.

"You, Ryuko Matoi, don't know Punk Rock?"

Ryuko tilted her head to one side, "No, should I?"

"... ***CRASH!***"

"Yokaiko!" She said as he did an face palnt on the ground out of utter shock.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
**After the Country Club did their rendition of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire", Tensh ad the others walked onto stage and started setting up. As they did, the other members of the band noticed that Tenshi was acting very calm and composed, as opposed to how nervous they were.

"Tenshi, how can you be so calm?" They asked him. He looked up at them, blinking blankly before answering:

"Simple, I know that we're gonna win this thing!" The band members were taken back by this, making the younger boy smile his cheeky smile. He knew that he should be nervous as hell seeing as though their competition was incredibly fierce and tough. But he knew that, since they were fighting for their music instead just doing this for kicks along with their passion, there was no chance that they could lose! "Now, don't worry about it. Just try your best and play naturally. Don't try so hard."

The band members smiled at him as they finished setting up. They took their palces onstage, overlooking the huge crowd. Breathing away their jitters, they began playing, quickly losing themselves in the music as they played. A few seconds into their show, Tenshi began to sing:

(The song is "Punk Rock Song" by Bad Religion. Look it up on Youtube. P.S. I know now that there are five members of Bad Religion but I didn't when I started. So Sorry.)

_Have you been to the Desert?  
Have you walked with the dead?  
There's a hundred thousand children being killed for their bread.  
And the figures don't lie when they speak of human disease  
But we do what we want and think what we please._

_Have you lived the experience?  
Have you witnessed the plague?  
People making babies sometimes just to escape.  
In this land of competition the compassion is gone.  
Yet we ignore the needy and keep pushing on.  
Keep pushing on!_

_**This is just a Punk Rock Song!  
Written for the people who can see something's wrong  
**__Like ants in a colony we do our share  
but there's just so many fucking insects out there!  
And this is just a Punk Rock Song!_

_(Instruments)_

_Have you visited the quagmire?  
Have you swam in the shit?  
The Party Conventions and the real Poltic  
The faces are different, the rhetoric the same.  
But we swallow it, and we see nothing change!  
Nothing has changed..._

_**This is just a Punk Rock Song!  
Written for the people who can see something's wrong  
**__Like worker's in a factory we do our share  
but there's so many other fuckin' robots out there!  
And this is just a Punk Rock Song!_

_(Instruments)_

_10 million dollars on a losing campaign.  
20 million starving in pain.  
Big, strong people unwilling to give.  
Small in vision and perspective!  
One in five kids below the poverty line.  
One population runnin' out of time.  
Runnin' Out of Time!_

_This is just a Punk Rock Song!  
Written for the people who can see something's wrong  
Like ants in a colony we do our share  
but there's just so many fucking insects out there!  
And this is just a Punk Rock -  
And the figures don't lie when they speak of human disease  
But we do what we want and think what we please.  
One in five kids below the poverty line.  
One population runnin' out of time._

_**This is just a Punk Rock Song!  
This is just a Punk Rock Song!  
This!  
Is!  
Just!  
A!  
Punk!  
Rock!  
SONG!**_

With that, they ended their song, sweaty and worn out but happy with their performance. They looked at the judges, who sat in their special place, blown away by them. After just a moment of deliberation, one of the judges stood up.

"We have reached a decision." He announced, making the Country band run onstage in anticipation, "The winner of this round, and the last contender in the semifinals is... The Punk Rock Club!" The band members, who had been holding their breath, gave a mighty roar, relived at their success. The Country Music Club signed, accepting their defeat and wishing them luck on the rest of the competition. They thanked their former opponent and marched offstage triumphantly, while Malka fumed.

"How could those idiots win?" She swore. The rest of the competition flashed by, with the Classical Music Club and Punk Rock Club dominating it, forcing them to face each other in the final round. Eager to beat these people down into the ground, she brought with her the entirety of her club with her, deciding to go with a condensed version of one of the most famous symphonies ever known: Beethoven's 5th: Fate. Fueled by the determination to win the competition for Lady Nonon and to show those moronic, low-life scum what true music was. Putting this into her work, she commanded her orchestra with such emotion that even the thick-headed author could understand it, and when the final note rang out, everyone clapped their hands, even a few wept at its beauty. The band members looked at each and shrugged, joining in on the clapping.

"Gotta admit, that was good for classical music." Tenshi noted, the rest of his comrades nodding in agreement, "But it's nothing compared to what we got!"

"Yeah!" They agreed, dashing onstage to perform their final song of the night; the song that would decide the fate of their club.

("Strange Denial" by Bad Religion.)

_(Instruments)_

_A muntinous enemy  
Carbon based Counstry  
Sweat and Blood form  
The grit of our history!_

_Taken from everyone  
Chance and free expression.  
The Substance was strained and the spirit was broken!_

_I feel A Strange Denial  
Rhythmic as change  
Constant as time_

_Lonely, insistent whispers  
Somber as a wave bye-bye  
Bye-Bye!_

_Searching for Solution  
Without Constitution!  
Backward Politicans  
Promising Salvation!_

_Advocating Dogmas  
Tickets to hereafter  
Mortals in their prime  
Wave their hands in the air!_

_Daunting, Complex and Burning!  
Rhythmic as change  
Constant as time._

_Conflicts awaiting approval  
Treated as Murder Trial  
Oh, I feel A Strange Denial!_

_(Instruments)_

_Correct is Consensus  
Everything else Nonsense!  
Forward is the hope.  
Forget Recompense!_

_Peace and tranquility  
Is only for the wealth.  
Dirt for the masses  
And Inequality!_

_Oh, I feel  
A Strange Denial  
Rhythmic as change  
Constant as time!_

_Lonely, insistent whispers  
Dissipating in the night  
Like a God damn Light!_

_(Instruments)_

_And no one is helping me.  
It's a Strange Denial._

The last echo of the energetic music rippled through the crowd, rippling through their hearts. Everyone sat in silence, absorbing the music that was just displayed, especially the judges. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the leader of the Classical Music Club snickering at them. As she and her orchestra was called onstage, he subtly but noticeably gave her the finger, enraging the short tempered woman. The judges debated amongst themselves for several minutes, seeming like hours to them. Finally, they came up with a victor: Honnouji Academy's Punk Rock Club, making the members of the club, after processing that they had won against the prestigious Classical Music Club, quickly embraced in a group hug, celebrating their unlikely victory. Malka, on the other hand, fainted from the sheer shock of her loss, making her other members carry her offstage. As they celebrated, a bright light flashed in the darkness, announcing the arrival of a certain woman: Satsuki Kiryuin.

"Members of the Punk Rock Club, in commeration for your victory, I hereby grant my approval of your club as a full-fledge member of Honnouji Academy's curriculum!" The leader of the school announced, adding to the joy of the original three members.

"Thank you, Lady Satsuki!" They said in unison.

"Yeah, thanks Senora Stank." Tenshi snarked, doing a mocking bow in front of her, triggering the memory of Ira up in the stands.

"HEY, YOU'RE THAT PUNK FROM THIS MORNING!" Ira yelled, jumping down from the stands; his impact creating a small earthquake. He then proceeded to rush at the younger male, only for him to move to the left and trip him as he passed. The other musicians gapped at him, seeing as though he not only tripped Ira Gamagori but also insulted Lady Satsuki to her face. Up in the VIP box, Houka looked at the boy with mild amusement.

"This fool seems to have quite the cheeky personality, eh Jauzure?" He said toward his fellow member, only to see that she too had left him. "Huh, probably should've noticed that."

Down on stage, Ira continuously tried attacking Tenshi, but the punk rocker was quick and agile, able to dodge all his attacks easily. It didn't help things that he was also throwing in more insults against Satsuki. After amusing him for a moment, Satsuki ordered Ira to stop.

"But, Lady Satsuki-" He protested.

"Enough, Gamagori. All that is being accomplished is making Honnouji Academy look like a fool." She countered coldly, "For now, I shall excuse his actions. If he makes another mistake, you have free reign on how to do deal with him."

Ira grunted in defeat, honoring her orders and Tenshi giggled, having escaped the frying pan-

CRASH!

-and into the fire as two figures leaped from the No Star Section and onto him. The figures, Uzu and Yokaiko, immediately began beating him with their respective while yelling at him.

"You little bastard!" Uzu exclaimed, driving his bamboo sword into his face, "Think you can worry us!"

"I swear, if you do that again…" Yokaiko swore, slamming his sword sheath into his gut.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" He cried out, hoping futily for mercy. The spectators and judges, having felt weirded out, immediate left the school, leaving the three, the Elite Four, Ryuko and Mako, and Satuski behind, all of whom were equally if not more confused. Ira cleared his throat, drawing their attention.

"Sanageyama." He said, gathering his thoughts as he spoke since they had been completely shattered when they appeared, "How, exactly, do you know this delinquent?"

Uzu frowned as he and his brother stopped their assault, "This _delinquent_ happens to be my younger brother, Tenshi Shigami"

"Your…brother." Ira repeated, dumbfounded by this fact.

"Yeah, he was supposed to contact us today but apparently he got sidetracked." Yokaiko confirmed through grit teeth, obviously unhappy about his brother. The youngest brother laughed nervously.

"Sorry Yokaiko-bro, Uzu-bro." He said to them, helped back up from behind by someone new to the conversation. Tenshi dusted himself off and turned to the helper to thank them when a tiny fist hit him square in the face.

"You asshole!" Nonon exclaimed, placing her other fist roughly in his lower regions in retaliation for his actions earlier that morning. Tenshi fell to the ground with a wheeze, landing his side clutching his junk. Not yet satisfied, Nonon repeatedly struck his ribcage with her shoes, yelling and calling him various names as his older brothers looked onward, confused themselves.  
"That's for kissing me!"

"Ah," Went Uzu, nodding his head, "Always knew that cheeky attitude would get him in deep shit."

"She's cute." Yokaiko observed npnchlantly, "Seems like Tenhsi's got good taste in girls."

Uzu snickered, "Sure, Jakzure's _good_ taste." The two brothers laughed (Well, Yokaiko chuckled) as their kin was assaulted. Meanwhile, in the No-Star Section…

"Does this mean I have another roommate?" Mako asked.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Knight of Balance: And that wraps up my fourth chapter. Man, the more of these things I type up, the longer they get. Seriously, over 6400 words! Damn, I hope the quality's increasing too.**

**You know, I think Punk Rock really mixes well with Kill La Kill, especially some of the songs by Bad Religion. I really liked expressing my love of this genre through this chapter, gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. Also, two of the best chapters are about to come up: Tsugumi's appearance and Ryuko's battle with Sanageyama! **

**Well, that's all I got for now. If you liked this chapter or found somethings wrong with it, please leave a review. Until next time!**

…

…

…

**Oh, right. Yokaiko and Tenshi's themes:**

**Tenshi: 21****st**** Century Digital Boy by Bad Religion**

**Yokaiko: I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin (Not my favorite band but the song's alright.) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch.5: Hunted  
Knight Of Balance: Hello, fellow Kill La Kill Fans. I bring you the fifth installment to Life Fibers and Death Strings! Now, I'd like to apologize for such a late update. I won't tell you why it was so late because it doesn't excuse what I did. Anyway, I just want to give you a heads-up, when you see this "*", it means you should start playing Yokaiko's theme which I believe I put back in the last chapter.**

**Fun Fact 1: Tsugumi's catchphrase, "Let me tell you two things/Let me tell you two useful pieces of information" is actually a quote from Viral from the episode of Gurren Lagann when he and Kamina faced off. I first watched Kill La Kill then Gurren, so when I heard it I geeked out. **

**Fun Fact 2: Yokaiko's name means "Demon Child" while Tenshi's means "Angel"**

**Fun Fact 3: Hokai's name means "Decay" as opposed to Senkestu's "Fresh-Blood"**

**I'll just put these in when I find something interesting about Kill La Kill or if I have a hidden meaning in my story, which is a lot. Just makes it that much more fun writing! ;)**

**Disclaimer: Don't Own Kill la Kill. This will be the last time I do this. It's just annoying.**

**Time: This chapter takes place a month after Chapter 4.  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

On the outskirts of Honnon City, driving down the scenic oceanic highway on a motorbike was a most unusual looking fellow: A tall, muscular, tanned man with green eyes and a head of shaved black hair except for a Mohawk of bright red hair. His outfit consisted of black shirt and pants with a green, army jacket with numerous pockets. Even that wasn't the most eye-catching thing about the man; the most eye-catching detail of him was his expression. Hard, cold, and determined: the look of warrior on a mission, a warrior that you wouldn't want to cross. He drove through the city, ignoring all the dirty looks he was getting from the pedestrians around him and straight up to the school on top, the school's terrace to be exact. Arriving at his destination, he dismounted his vehicle, lit a cigarette, opened one of the side compartments, taking out several components, assembling them into a sniper rifle and placed himself of the edge of the terrace. He aimed his weapon skyward, towards Satsuki's perch, using the scope on the weapon to check on the room inside, seeing it was empty. Grunting in disappointment, he turned his weapon downward, taking aim inside one of the classrooms: Classroom 2-K, to be precise. He zoomed in on a specific female and started to pull the trigger, stopping only when he felt a presence behind him.

"What do you want?" He asked in a deep, gruff, no-nonsense voice to the people behind him: A bunch of One-Star students with flowery handkerchiefs and a squat Two-Star with freckles and blue sunglasses, who was glaring at him as the custom red kanji introduced him as 'Kusanosuke Yaguruma, Manager of the gardening Club.'

"Oh nothing," The Two-Star said in such a manner that he knew it wasn't little, "Just wanted to see who was looking after our flowers." The man looked down at where he had walked, seeing that he had trampled their precious flowers. Giving an uninterested grunt, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it with a fire from on his wrist bands. "Hey, you can't smoke here! It's against Academy rules!"

"As if I care what a bunch of Life Fiber-doped up teenagers have to say." He commented, blowing out white smoke from his lungs, keeping his serious, no-nonsense look to him while the club leader gaped at the newcomer in amazement at his knowledge.

"How do you know our secret?" He exclaimed. The man looked at them, his look getting pretty dangerous as his annoyance at them was rising. These fools thought it a good idea to order him, Tsugumu Kinsanga, around like they had any authority on him? He was tempted to show them how powerless they truly were against him but at the moment, he had more pressing matters to attend to. So, with one last suck of his cigarette, he blew out the smoke in his lungs and said to them:

"I don't believe I have to answer that." With that small bit of defiance, he nonchalantly flicked the used up butt into the flowers, drawing a ripple of gasps from the people before him.

"Th-that bastard flicked a cigarette butt into our flower beds as if it were a trash can!" Kusanosuke gasped, almost rendered speechless from the rage coursing through his body. The entirety of the Gardening Club lined up their watering cans in front of their leader's portable flower bed. Tsugumu watched with just the slightest hint of curiosity as they poured water into the dirt as the leader threatened him. Then, just as he was getting bored, several green plants with mouths coated in Life Fibers burst from the dirt and attacked, forcing him to take a grand leap into the air to avoid being eaten alive.

"Gardening-spec, Green Thumb enhancing Two-Star Goku Uniform!" The gardener announced with sadistic glee toward his opponent, "Just an FYI before I reduce you to mulch!" The man's mouth twitched to a smirk as he soared through the air.

'_Funny, I was thinking the same thing.' _He thought to himself, dislodging part of his weapon and now aimed what now appeared to be an adapted sowing needle gun at them and hailed needles upon them all, harming all but the club captain who stood with a moronic smirk.

"That tactic didn't work in _300_ and it won't work here!" He exclaimed, summoning a much larger and more vicious-looking plant, as tall as an apartment complex, and ordered it to attack. Unfazed by this new and probably more powerful opponent, Tsugumu shot at the plant with his gun once again, plugging it with hundreds upon hundreds of needles before jumping away as it slammed into the spot where he once stood. Kusanosuke laughed maliciously:

"Good, my beauty. Show him the power of plants-" He stopped ion mid-sentence, seeing his pride and joy rot in front of him at an unbelievable rate, going from luscious green to nauseating brown. Suddenly, he fell to his knees, his Goku Uniform as heavy as lead. "How? My power is all gone." Tsugumu walked up to him, leveling his weapon at his head.

"Let me tell you tell things that will prove useful: 1. I smoke wear I want."

"Have mercy!" Kusanosuke cried out like the sniveling worm he was, only for the red-Mowhawked man to push his gun closer, right between his eyes.

"2." Tsugumu growled, so angry that Kusanosuke's life flashed before his eyes, "I. Do not. Tolerate…Interruptions!"

After dealing with the Club Manager, he retrieved the part of his weapon he discarded earlier and reassembled his rifle, taking aim at the high school girl once again. Without a second thought, he pulled the trigger, launching a deadly sharp needle straight toward her temple. The needle cut through the air, pierced the window without breaking it and _almost_ hit her temple. It would have, if not for the flaming-haired boy sitting behind as he had caught the projectile before it could reach her. Tsugumu looked through the sniper rifle's scope in complete and utter surprise at the boy, who inspected the needle with a serious look on his face as well. He looked up from the needle, up at the hole it created and at him, its origin. The two stared at each other, sensing the other's gaze until Tsugumu huffed, packed up his things and rode away. The student looked up at where he was and huffed, returning to the lesson at hand.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
**Later, at the lunch period.

"**Life Fiber Synchronize! Kamui Senkestu!**" Ryuko declared, beating away the crowd of half-human, half-skeleton, and brain exposed members of the Biology club that surrounded her like rag dolls. Ryuko wrinkled her nose at the sight of the club room, seeing the multiple dissected/pickled animals covering the dark area, the stink of decaying and pickled flesh burned her nostrils, the feel of cold damp air on her bare skin. She always hated Biology, not only was she horrible at it but the thought of picking at the insides of a dead animal disgusted her, but this was really pushing things. "Jeez, do you guys have anything better to so than take hostages?"

"Wow, you're so cool Ryuko!" Mako awed, bound to an upright surgical table with three circles beneath her for the skin, organs and bones that the Biology Club was going to extract from her. Standing beside her was the Biology Club Leader, a man with blue hair, a lab coat and exposed muscle tissue coated with Life Fibers, frowning at the intruder.

"She's not a hostage!" He defended, a spotlight shinning down from nowhere to introduce him properly, "She's the Biology Club's first ever human Guinea Pig!" The entirety of the Biology Club rushed in front of the prize catch, ready to defend it with various scientific tools and other, less refined weaponry (like chainsaws). Ryuko's blood boiled even hotter than before at the man's words, the grip on her Scissor blade so tight that she certain that her knuckles were now a completely white. They dared to call Mako a guinea pig, a thing to be killed and dissected just for information. The One-Star Students unleashed their barrage of tools and weapons at her while the black and red warrior just stood there, taking the full-brunt of the attack without even a scratch on her person, mixing arrogance with the rage in her body to create a dangerous cocktail, evident as the last tool fell to the ground, the biology fanatics shook in fear as Ryuko drew back her blade, which had extended to it's two-handed, Decapitation Mode with a smirk, conveying the hubris she had.

_'Oh, this is going to be _sweet.' She thought to herself as her opponents cowered before her. "Did you really think that you could beat me with weapons you use on frogs? **Finishing Move:Sen-I-Soushitsu!**" Ryuko cried out, swinging her blade with such force that it destroyed the wall behind them making all the members fall to the courtyard below while landed gracefully on her blade as a single red thread was sucked into her armor. De-Synchronizing, she reduced the size of her weapon down to a normal scissor and slid it into her side pouch as she walked over to where Mako was, cheering her as always, as well as Yokaiko, who had been polishing his own weapon while she had been fighting, only just noticing her now.

"Wow, you just seem to get more and more amazing each day!" Mako yelled, looking at her friend with awe shinning in her eyes. Yokaiko's mouth twitched into a slight smile before returning to his usual facial expression. Ryuko grinned bashfully at her friend's words.

"Oh, it's nothing really." She told her, false humility layering her voice. Senkestu looked up at his wearer with a singled narrowed eye, sensing the truth behind her words.

"**Your blood's been rather salty lately." **He commented, drawing her attention at the seemingly odd and out of nowhere observation on his part, **"Aren't you getting a little cocky?"**

Ryuko looked at him, her narrowing at him in suspicion "You can tell that by how my blood tastes?" she asked, surprised by this new ability of her uniform, if not a little disturbed by this new revelation.

"**Of course, I can spot any change in your biology," **He informed her, **"From your body weight to your BMI."** The feisty high schooler flushed red in embarrassment at the last two words spoken by the sentient piece of clothing.

"Hey! Who do you think you are?" She yelled and grabbed at him, earning her the smiles from Mako and Yokaiko as she did, though the latter's was less noticeable.

"It's actually kind of cute how they bicker." He commented to his clothing ally, who rolled his demonic eyes sarcastically.

"**Sure, if you can call an innocent person arguing with her parasitic thong cute." **Hokai sneered, laughing cruelly as Yokaiko looked at him with an 'oh, really?' look.

"This coming from the midriff barring slimeball." He commented playfully, earning him the ire of his partner, latter redirected at Senkestu who laughed at Yokaiko's counter.

"**Fuck off, Mo!" Hokai **screeched at his counterpart, instantly making the other snap at him again.

"**Come over here and call me that to my face, you dishrag!" **Senkestu countered, causing a barking match between the two uniforms, trading insults of multiple varieties until their uniforms yelled at them to stop the fighting. Hearing this, Mako laughed.

"How, you two are like one-man comedy acts!" She laughed, catching the surprised gazes of both her friends, "Oh, sorry. You were talking to your uniforms again, weren't you? Well, I sure am glad that the Biology Club didn't slice my tummy open!" The bowl-cut girl said, pulling a big lunch box tied up by a light blue handkerchief from inside her blouse, prompting a questioning from her flame-haired friend about where exactly she was hiding that before opening it to unveil a variety of croquettes, "If I ate my lunch with my tummy sliced open, it would all fall out and I'd have to eat it all over again."

"You'd have bigger problems than that." Yokaiko muttered. Ryuko nodded in agreement with him.

"Yeah, you have to start watching out," She said, her friend ignoring her as she prepared to chow down, "One of these days, you're gonna seriously hurt and-" She stopped then and there as she saw her friend fly backward, a needle stuck in the middle of her forehead. Suddenly, a small rain of needles washed over her, sticking themselves all over the front of her form.

"Mako!" Ryuko screamed, fear gripping her as she saw her first friend fall to the ground, frozen in half chow down mood. She quickly inspected her friend, making sure she was alive before turning toward her other friend, asking for his help when she saw that he had been hit by the same attack, only he was covered by three times as many needles. "Yokaiko! Guys, say something!" She screamed as two of the people she cared about the most in the world laid like statues on the ground, unaware of the newcomer in her midst.

"They're unharmed," A deep, gruff voice assured her. Whipping her head around, she saw a person dressed as a guerrilla fighter wielding a sowing machine gun advancing toward their group, making her roll her eyes. Either this dumb-ass thought he was in some kind battlefield (which wasn't too far from the truth) or he thought that guerrilla fighter bullshit made him seem badass and intimidating. Either way, she knew they weren't going to get along in the least. "In fact, thanks to the therapeutic effects of the needles, they'll be refreshed, cured of any disease and full of vigor when they wake up."

"Oh, thanks?" She said, surprised at the supposed kindness of the stranger.

"But," Tsugumu continued, turning the weapon on her, "Your uniform will receive no such curtsey!"

"**Ryuko, run!" **Senkestu warned, getting chills from the man across from them. Taking his advice, the young woman leaped onto the ground and ran as fast as she could; dodging the rain of needles as she readied her weapon for battle. One needle, unfortunately, found its mark in her shoe, making her fall to the ground. Before she knew what was going on, Ryuko found herself pinned to the ground by the Mohawk man, her Scissor Blade forced from her grasp. She fought the urge to spit in his face and decided to get as much info from him as possible.

"What club you from, Mohawk?" She asked him, pouring all her dislike into her voice.

"Take off your clothes." He responded, aiming his gun directly at her heart. Hearing that, Ryuko's face flushed in rage at his words.

"What? What the hell is that to say?" She spat defiantly. She always knew that most men (with the exception of her flame-haired friend) were perverted but this was an all-new low for her. Seriously, what full-grown man asks a high-school girl to strip for them? "I know, you're from the Pervert Club and you're the captain!" She screamed at him, glaring at him.

He looked directly into her eyes, matching her glare with one of his own, "Let me tell you two things that will prove useful: 1. I'm not a pervert."

"Keep telling yourself that!" She yelled, grabbing the pin on her wrist to transform, prevented to do so when he shot a fork-like object from one of his wrist bands, pinning her wrist to the ground. Ryuko looked at her wrist, his next words ringing out in her head as she looked at her hand in shock, though it were light years away:

"2. You cannot transform in front of me." He informed her, "If I shot at this range, you'll die. Just strip." Then, as he spoke the last two words, the red-haired man felt something cold, sharp and metallic pressed against the back of his head. He spared a second to look behind and see what it was: The blade of Yokaiko Shigami.

"Harm a hair on her and you'll lament what little life you have left." He assured the older male, his purple eyes as cold as steel and his voice containing a low growl. Tsumgu simply stared at him in complete, utter shock, muting any form of retort.

"H-how?" Was all he could get out, the question shared by the girl beneath him, not as though she were complaining-

"What the hell do you think you're doing? I never asked for your help!" She yelled at him, glaring at her friend, having forgotten the situation she was in.

-at the moment.

"I pretended to get hit by your attack," He explained, ignoring Ryuko's comment as he continued glaring at him, "So I could jump in when I got the chance. Not usually my style, but you didn't seem like the type of person to hold back against. Now," He flicked the back of his head with the tip of his wicked sharp blade, "Let her go."

Tsumgu glared back at Yokaiko defiantly, his gin still aimed at Ryuko's heart, showing that he wasn't going to back down. Ryuko struggled against the man on top of her but seemed to weigh twice as much as herself, with her left hand being pinned down by the fork-like object with the opposing hand pinned by his left, legs in a similar position. Feeling this, she quickly ran through their options. She couldn't do a damn thing since she was pinned. Yokaiko could always decapitate the man on top of her but he would have ample time to kill her before he could swing his blade. Tackling their assailant wasn't an option, he outweighed them both. Transforming was off the table since it took too much time to do, seeing him vulnerable. At this moment, there didn't seem to be anything the two of them could do, stuck in a stalemate with the sudden enemy. Fully aware of this, Tsugumu started to pull the trigger of his weapon, ready and willing to end the life of the girl below him who braced herself for the oncoming projectile. Before he could though, a small pin with blue ribbon on it flew from nowhere onto his hand, catching the blue-eyed man's attention. He looked over toward where the pin had flown from, scanning the side of the school for its source, until his sight laid upon a lone facility member, disheveled and weary-looking, staring down on him and the scene around him, piercing through him behind his shaded glasses. Tsugumu glared back at the man with such an intense gaze that most would take this opportunity to flee, but the man didn't budge a single inch. He cocked his head to the side, giving him a look at his emerald eyes, conveying a single unspoken message.

'_Not yet.'_

Getting the message, Tsugumu rose up from his position; with Yokaiko keeping his blade leveled at the back of his head, and sheathed his weapon. Flipping around, he met the eyes of teenage male behind him, daring him to attack. To his credit, Yokaiko stood unfazed, returning the glare with one of his own as he returned his own weapon to its scabbard. With the threat of retaliation gone, Tsugumu walked past him and toward the entrance/exit of the academy, stoic and silent as ever. Ryuko, after taking a moment to collect herself, ripped the object bind her hand to the cold stone below her and leaped to her feet, huffing angrily at him as he dared to walk away from her so suddenly.

"Yo, Mohawk Pervert!" She called out, making her male friend growl uncharacteristically at her as warning to shut her mouth, falling on deaf and/or uncaring ears, "I thought you were gonna 'strip' me. What? Did you puss out like the coward you are?"

Her friend opened his pale mouth to chill her for such reckless words considering the fact he was leaving them when he saw Tsugumu start turning around. With his years of practiced swordsmanship he drew his blade and moved in front of his friend in time to deflect another one of the fork like objects that had trapped Ryuko's hand earlier, the object bouncing off his sword with a dull hum as he glared at him, anger surfacing amongst his usual still sea of a face.

"Make no mistake. I'll be back tomorrow." He told them, walking away into the distance horizon as Ryuko and Yokaiko watched on with shock and slight anger respectively.

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Later that day, during supper, Yokaiko was in the kitchen with Suyuko, helping the matriarch of the Mankankou family prepare dinner for what seemed like an army. As he absentmindedly washed potato after potato for croquettes, his mind, freed at the moment, couldn't help but wonder toward his dark-haired friend. Ever since the incident with that Mohawk man, she seemed kind of sadden, going through the motions of the day with a robotic quality, losing that unique spunk to her, her usual bright and beautiful eyes now clouded over in though and worry, the sight of which brought a certain pain in his heart unlike anything he ever felt before. Having never had parents or really family outside of his brothers, Yokaiko treasured each and every friend he made, which was few and far in between, but the way he felt for Ryuko, ever since he first met her. He didn't know what exactly, maybe it was the fact she didn't really have a family either. Maybe it was because, like himself, she was loner as well. Maybe it was because they both despised the way life punished the good and rewarded the bad. In reality, it could be any number of things, but one thing was certain, Ryuko Matoi was dear to him and the sight of her in such a depression hurt him deep down.

"Um, Yokaiko dear?" Suyuko said, knocking the flame haired boy from his thoughts, making him look at her with questioning eyes, "I think you've washed the potato enough. The skin's almost gone."

Blinking a few times, he looked down and saw that she was right; he almost washed away the membrane of the starch in his hands. With a small blush on his pale skin, he handed it over the cook in charge, chuckling nervously. "Sorry, Mrs. Mankankou. Guess my head's in another place right now."

"Is it now?" She said, moving her head to one side as her look changed from her usual cheery expression to one of motherly worry, "Tell me Yokaiko, did something happen at school?" Once these words echoed in his ears, the young man looked at the woman with slight shock in his face. Sometimes, Suyuko Mankankou's motherly intuition scared him more than Satsuki Kiryuin could ever hope to. He briefly considered telling her about the incident today, but he moved that aside knowing that he couldn't have her bare the burden. No, it was better for him to just suffer silently, a specialty of his.

"No, why do you ask?" He answered, fully knowing the answer to his own question but did so anyway to keep up a facade of innocence.

"It's just; you and Ryuko haven't been yourselves since you got home." She pointed out with a cute pout to match her daughter's, "It just worries me, that's all. I kind of think you both as my own children and I hate to see you both so glum."

The young male simply looked at her, his mind trying to wrap itself around what she just said. In his seventeen years of life, he never had anything that resembled a parent, life quickly teaching him lessons the hard way as his own parents where really never around due to their work schedule, bring up the question as to why they had children in the first place. Straying from his usual stoic behavior, Yokaiko reassured the brown haired mother that everything was fine, feeling a slight sting from his lie to the kind and caring woman who had just professed to caring about him as much as her own children. Smiling at his assurance, both cooks walked out of the kitchen with plates that held mountains of mystery food meals and set them down upon the dinning room, calling all of the house's ravenous inhabitants to diner. Then, like sharks after blood in the water, the family flew through the air, onto their seats and began chowing down as fast as they possibly could, which was near warp speed 5. Taken back even though he had encountered this phenomenon many times before, he recovered enough to take his seat in the middle of three empty ones. Just as he sat down, the window behind the patriarch of the family slide aside, revealing Yokaiko's younger brother who simply gave the family a mischievous smile before flipping onto the seat with the grace of a gymnast, landing next to his brother, who simply looked him from the side of his eye.

"So, where have _you_ been?" Yokaiko said, taking a bite out of his croquettes as he looked pointy at his kin, who simply laughed nervously at his gaze.

"Sorry, Yokaiko-bro. Practice went late tonight." Tenshi laughed, playing with his hair nervously as Yokaiko looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He'd lived with his younger brother long enough to know when he was lying, which he seemed to be doing now. If he had to guess, he probably was spending his time doing what he did best: annoying the utter crap out of anyone who happen to catch his attention, most likely that Nonon girl from the Elite Four, who, from what little Uzu told him, was the only person that could keep up with his snarking. Normally, he would pull his brother aside and talk with him about associating from such a dangerous individual (yet he doesn't see the irony in daily sparring matches with Uzu, which was something Tenshi wanted to point out but knew better to pick a fight with his brother.) but the male noticed something else that needed his attention: someone wasn't at the table, a dark-haired girl in a sailor uniform to be in fact. With this in mind, he pushed Tenshi's matter aside and walked away with his plate full of food, much to the surprise of the Punk Rock lover. As he ascended the stairs, Yokaiko quickly ate another croquette to temporally subside the hunger that gnawed at him, despite his partner's objections.

"**Eat." **Hokai demanded repeating the word over and over again, trying with every ounce of his will to get his partner to eat, knowing from experience how bad he was at doing it. When he synchronized with Yokaiko, Hokai could draw upon many sources to fuel his transformation, not just blood like other Kamuis. He didn't know why, perhaps it was because of the unique link they shared or it could've been because he was made from Death Strings instead of Life Fibers. Anyway, he drew mostly on the leftover calories in Yokaiko seeing as it was the easiest and safest way, though it still caused a big strain on his body. Though, if his body ran out of calories to burn then he would be forced to use another source, like the electricity running through his body or, heavens forbid, his blood. But, even though he was fully aware of this, his wearer resisted taking a few extra minutes out off his usual routine to consume the necessary food to operate him without causing unnecessary and, again, _severe _strain on his body.

Like the other 178 times before this account, he ignored him again and opened the door to the bedroom he shared with Mako, her brother and Ryuko, where said young woman sat on the sleeping bag that she called her own, staring out the window, spacing off which such intensity that she didn't even notice him come in. Seeing her sitting, spacing out as she most likely thought about the events that transpired this afternoon, it tugged at the strings inside his heart. She was good person, she never did anything to deserve this situation; the thought of which boiled his normally cool blood and darken his usually neutral face. But, for his friends sake, he pushed aside his dark thoughts and walked up to his slumping friend and tapped his shoulder, snapping her out of the realm of her mind and back into reality. She looked up at him in surprise then with annoyance.

"What do you want?" She asked pointedly, making it quite evident that she wanted to be alone at the moment, not that the boy cared, siting down across from her with the plate of food at his left side.

"You didn't come down for dinner." He said, placing his hands on his crossed legs as he talked, "You know how fast the food gets eaten. I wanted to make sure you got something to eat."

"I'm not hungry." She told him, contradicted only mere seconds later when her stomach rebelled against her words in the form a loud growl, much to the embarrassment of the young woman. Upon seeing her flushed red face, Yokaiko's face twitched into the form of a small victorious smile, sliding the plate over to her with a pair of chopsticks. She looked down at plate then back up to her friend, giving him an 'and?' look. He nudged the plate toward her, signaling her to eat its contents. Upon seeing this, Ryuko raised a thin black eyebrow at him with a smug smile on her face, telling to go ahead and try making her eat, pressing her lips tightly together. Seeing this, he rolled his eyes at her childish behavior, not to mention her rash action; for she had forgotten one crucial fact about him: he raised his younger brother, who had also attempted the same trick before. Looking at her plainly for a moment, he instantly pinched her nose closed with his index and middle finger. Ryuko's eyes crossed as she looked down at her now sealed nose, grabbing the arm to try and pry his fingers off. Alas, though she was amazingly strong, so was Yokaiko from years of endurance training who also had the advantage of having naturally better upper-body strength. Even so, she kept her mouth closed as humanly possible, unable to concede defeat to the other teen, attempting to stare him down with her fiercest glare, one that would normally make most guys piss themselves. Not him, Yokaiko Shigami, who simply returned the glare with his own, a silent testament to his invulnerable will. He had faced down innumerable opponents before, most of whom had done worse things than the red-streaked woman would ever do, his gaze never wavering once in all those battles. Well, there was that one time when he was seven, when attempted to stare down an old playmate, some bubbly girl whose name he'd rather not mention, who giggled and pushed him into a wall.

But, back to the matter at hand, Ryuko, after an amazing 45 seconds, gasped for air; which Yokaiko acted upon quickly, stuffing the croquette into her mouth in the blink of an eye, closing her mouth just as fast to stop her from spitting it out. She smacked his hand away but couldn't bring herself to spit out the mystery meat croquette that Mako's mom had made, so she conceded defeat and swallowed. Yokaiko smiled as he watched his friend eat up the rest of her croquettes with a smile on her face. Meanwhile, Senkestu sighed in relief as his wearer ate her food.

"**Thank God she's eating." **Senkestu said while his more demonic counterpart rolled his eyes.

"**Like you got anything to bitch about, Mosquito," **Hokai grumbled**, "Getting him eat is like trying to make sense of anything that Mako girl says."** Senkestu growled at the other Kamui's annoying nickname for him but his anger evaporated like water on a hot sidewalk when he processed the rest of his words.

"**Wait, I thought a responsible person like Yokaiko would take care of himself, even when it comes to eating." **The Kamui said, the demon-like clothing gave a deep hearty laugh at the notation. His owner was good at taking care of other people, he guessed it came from years of practice with his little brother, but Yokaiko was nowhere near as caring when it came to himself.

"**Ha! In the year I've known, Yokaiko's only eaten a whole meal three times, despite my many warnings." **Hokai said, the last part in a low throaty growl to show his anger at his partner's negligence while Senkestu hummed in agreement. He would've nodded in agreement but that required a head.

"**I know what you mean, I told Ryuko to lay off the croquettes because they're way too salty, but here she is; eating them yet again." **The Kamui sympathized, looking up at his wearer in the hopes that she was listening to their conversation. **"Though they're better than nothing."**

Hokai hummed, agreeing with his often times rival.**"I hear that. There was this one time where Yokaiko ate nothing but a couple of bananas and half a sandwich in a whole week. And I'm not even exaggerating, that's literally all he ate. Meanwhile, his brother entered into some kind of eating contest involving some disgusting American food. What was it called again? Hot dogs, I think? Yokaiko tried one but was so grossed out that he spat it out as soon as he could. Man, it seems to me the only thing those Americans are good at is blowing crap up." **Senkestu laughed at his little observation and, as he was doing so, the other Kamui came to a rather startling conclusion: He was having a pleasant conversation with Senkestu, someone whom had gone out of his way to pester and annoy. Hokai wondered how this could happen, how he could have stumbled into a nice conversation with a person whom he seemed to work at annoying for, what he was going honestly admit, no reason. In fact, he didn't know why he kept annoying the blood-sucker but he just did it on some weird impulse deep inside what he wanted to call his 'brain.'

_**'Wait, what do we have in place of brains?' **_Hokai wondered to himself, drawing a blank when it came to that part of his biology but pushed it aside as he looked at Senkestu recall one of his own adventures, realizing he was actually pretty nice to talk to for a Life Fiber being. Though he barely remember anything before a year ago, he knew that his previous encounters with Life Fibers were rather unpleasant. Maybe he should think about treating Senkestu better...

"**Whatever you say, Mosquito." **Hokai interrupted him half-hearted, getting the expected reaction of rage from the other. _**"Perhaps when I get things sorted out in this headish thing of mine"**_ He thought to himself.

A few minutes later, Yokaiko gave a small satisfied smile as Ryuko sat her chopsticks down on the empty plate, rubbing her full belly contently with a small burp. "Damn, those were some good croquettes." She said, reveling in the remnants of the croquettes' taste in her mouth. "Mrs. Mankanchou really knows how to make them, doesn't she?" Upon hearing her words, his ears light up into a slight shade of red.

"Yes, she does." He agreed, his smile turning from satisfaction to another emotion that was very unfamiliar to him, one that had crossed his time only a handful of times in his seventeen years: embarrassment. "Though, in this case, I helped in making them." He admitted in a surprisingly shy tone, his ears growing redder with every word spoken. Ryuko blinked at the words spoken by the male across from her.

"Wait, _you_ helped make the croquettes?" She said, the sound of her voice making it clear that she couldn't believe that this big tough-looking guy would know anything about cooking. _'Heh, Yokaiko in a frilly pink apron.' _Ryuko thought to herself, the image of which almost made her go into a fit of absolute, incredulous laughter. Yokaiko noticed this and blushed bright pink, having always been embarrassed about his somewhat feminine skill. Having been alone without parents for so long, Yokaiko had to learn cooking in order to feed himself and his little brother. Even though the skill was necessary to survive, that didn't stop him from being embarrassed about it. Seeing his red as hell face, Ryuko's barely held in check laughter died in her throat and gave her grumpy friend a playful punch in the shoulder, only for her to withdraw it quickly and shake it in pain, as though she had just punched a brick wall.

"Oh, quit with that stupid face!" She cheered at him, pushing at him only for her to fall onto the rotting wood floor herself. Looking at his fallen friend, he gave a short sigh and smiled at her attempt to brighten his mood, one of things he liked about her. Getting up onto his feet, he extended a hand down to her, pulling her up onto her feet with him.

"Thanks for the help." He said to the fiery heroine, patting her back lightly making her stumble forward a bit. He chuckled at her a little, earning him yet another glare from Ryuko, who simply huffed and closed her eyes in anger at him, which made him laugh once more though this one was more out of joy rather than amusement, so happy to see her feeling well after the events that had transpired not even twelve hours ago. This thought stuck in his head, bring up something he wanted to ask Ryuko when he came up here with the food.

"Hey, Ryuko," He said, his voice soaked with sobriety, which made her look at him, "Do you, perhaps, want to talk about what had happened today at lunch?" The very instant he said those words, Yokaiko wished he could take them back as he watched his friend's expression change from playful annoyance to an upset look, her bright blue eyes clouding over once again with thought and worry. She sat back down onto the sleeping back, crossing her arms over her knees, laying her head down on her arms, making it clear she didn't want to talk about the events that transpired at the said time span. Though he understood the power of solitude more than most people on the planet, he was also beginning to learn that the power of solitude couldn't compare with the power of multiple people working together as one. And he'd be damned if he stood by while Ryuko had a problem and he didn't do his absolute best to help her in every way he could. He sat down upon the spot he had occupied just moments ago, this time scooting closer to her. "Listen Ryuko, I can tell you're upset about this, no matter how much you try to hide it. I mean, you refused to eat Mrs. Mankanchou's cooking! How messed up is that?"

"I'm not upset." She denied, going through the same routine as with the food, apparently forgetting about how that situation played out. Hearing this, Yokaiko shook his head in disappointment.

"Ryuko, I think we both know that I'm not going anywhere until we talk about this." He said firmly, like a parent would say to a child who was refusing to do as they were told. When she ignored him, Yokaiko went down onto his knees and put both his hands on her shoulders, squeezing them as gently as he could, "Listen to me, I can't say that I know what is going inside your head right now, I wasn't the one he was after. You were. But, what I do know is that you can't let this fester inside you, nor do you have to. You have Mako to talk about this, though it might not seem like it at first, but she's a lot smarter than she lets on. I wouldn't doubt for a moment that she doesn't already know that something isn't right with you, and she'd drag down the heavens themselves to help you. Just as I would. If there is anything I can do to help, anything at all, please don't keep it to yourself and tell me. I don't care what it is, you're my friend. Please, just tell me."

"You're wrong," She muttered, striking something deep inside of him. Was she saying that they weren't actually friends? "Mohawk Man wasn't after me, he was after Senkestu." She grabbed the eye of the Kamui who looked up at her with...was that worry in his eye? "I can't let him get to Senkestu. I need him to find out what happened to my dad. And..." Ryuko trailed off but Yokaiko understood what she was going to say: The Kamui was her friend and she didn't want him to get hurt. He understood her now; knowing that he would do the same for his partner, Hokai, but that didn't mean she had to do this alone. But, before he could tell her this little fact, she slipped into the covers of the sleeping bag, signaling the end of their conversation. He looked at her for a moment, fully aware she wasn't asleep but knew better than to talk with her any farther. With a single shake of his head, he kissed her fore head affectionately before walking out of the room. Once the door was closed, he slumped against it, growling softly in frustration. Hokai picked up on the emotion and said.

"**You did the best you could. You can't help someone who won't let you." **Hokai pointed out, the words somehow sparking an idea deep within the recesses of his mind.

"I can think of a way." Yokaiko said, his face frozen in determination.  
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Deep inside the bowels of the No-Star slums, Tsugumu Kinigasi arrived at a rather sleazy looking bar and that was saying something as he had been to some pretty scummy places in his journey. Still, the bar's state of being was of no consequence to him since he was here meeting an important friend of his. So, as he dismounted his bike, he walked through the salon-like doors of the bar and into a dimly lit where the alcoholics of Honnon city resided, drunk and half-conscious. He passed these fools and over toward the brightest part of the bar, where the bartender resided, washing a dirty mug though Tsugumu wondered why in the world he bothered, the idiots that lived here wouldn't care if their mugs were dirty or not so long as they drown their sorrows. He scanned the bar, looking around until his eyes rested on a head of glossy blue hair, swept back in a fashionable style. Spotting the head, he started walking toward the head of hair, drawing the pin from earlier from one of his many pockets and throwing it into the man's tiny cup of sake. The man looked at the pin in his drink then over to Tsugumu, who leaned against the counter.

"'I hate being interrupted'" The man, Akiuro Misukigi, said to Tsugumu, who gave him a rough grunt at the other male.

"What do you want?" He asked his comrade. He and Akiuro knew better than to interrupt him while he was hunting, especially a quarry such as this. He must have had a very good reason to stop and he wanted to hear it. Akiuro sighed, removing the pin from his drink and taking a sip from it.

"Oh come on, there's no need to be so stiff. Sit and have a drink." He told his comrade, offering him some rice wine which he rejected outright with a growl.

"What. DO. You. Want." He repeated angrily, making it obvious that he didn't want to be here and that Akiuro better start talking or else. The handsome man picked up the message through his foul mood and sighed in defeat at his attempt at conversation.

"I want you tell leave Ryuko Matoi and the Kamui alone," Akiuro stated, "Things are in a very delicate state right now." Upon hearing this, Tsugumu gave a condescending laugh.

"Do you honestly think I would stop hunting the Kamui on command?' he asked Akiuro incredulously, who simply drank his sake.

"Satsuki Kiryuin has donned a Kamui herself, it only stands to reason that we fight fire with fire." Akiuro reasoned, refilling his glass as his friend looked at him sternly.

"And who's to say that the Matoi girl won't become a bigger problem than Kiryuin?" he said to the stylish man, "After all, that Kamui might swallow her up."

"And there's every possibility that it won't." Akuiro argued at him, staring his friend down with emerald eyes.

'And there's every _probability _that it will, so why take the chance?" He argued right back, not giving a single inch in this battle of wills, a fact that was beginning to exasperate Akiuro, not that he cared. He should know by that he would never back down on a subject such as this one.

"Because I honestly believe that Dr. Matoi wouldn't allow any danger to befall his daughter, especially from a Kamui he made." He looked Tsugumu straight in the eyes, silently accusing him, "Would you doubt our good friend?" Tsugumu laughed slightly. His comrade's arguments were getting weak and predictable.

"Yeah, well look were his works gotten him: feeding the worms." He said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it up, inhaling the toxic yet mellow fumes. Akiuro's normally handsome features darkened with rage, his anger reaching such a point that it looked like he was about to hit the much bigger male in the face.

"You know who would agree with me? Kinie." He said, the mere mention of the name causing his cigarette to fall from his lips, "She would've agreed with me and let things run their course with Matoi."

Tsugumu just stood there, his mind drifting off to another place entirely: an underground lab, various half-finished articles of clothing strewn about a cold steel floor as a hunched back man sat over a sowing machine as he worked on yet another, looking over the blueprints of a piece of clothing and, finally, a woman with dark hair being torn apart by what seemed like sheer darkness, her blood flying in every direction. Then, with a single blink, he returned to the present day, in the bar with Akiuro, gripping his hand so tightly that blood dripped onto the already messy floor. He got up from his leaning position, telling him in a strangely cool voice: "Let me tell you two things that will prove useful: 1. I owe a great debt, so I'll do whatever you say. 2. That doesn't apply when it comes to a Kamui." With that, he started walking toward the exit will Ajiuro shook his head as though he was about to do something he didn't want to.

"The Akumui exists." He said regretfully. Though it was only a trio of words that was fifteen letters long, Tsugumu stopped as though they were some sort of deep, dark secret.

"What do you say?" He asked, for the first time ever he was caught completely off guard, "How can that be? We disposed of that-that _thing_ a year ago. No way it could've survived for so long without a host."

"I never said it didn't have one." He said, further sending Tsugumu into a spiral of confusion.

"What? It has a host? I thought wearing the Akumui was fatal?" He said, his kind barely able to process what he had heard, let alone comprehend or understand it.

"Apparently there's one person in the world who can wear the damn thing." He informed him, drinking his alcohol once again. "Do you think you can tackle both of them at same time?" The guerrilla fighter just stood in the doorway, milling over the information again and again in his head until his brain finally digested it.

"If it lives, then I must." He said, walking out the door of the bar, riding off into the night to prepare for battle. Back at the bar, Akiuro sighed yet again.

"No matter what I do, I can't get you off this path of yours, can I?" He commented, paying for his drink and exiting the bar himself.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, Tsugumu walked into Honnon with a giant steel rectangular prism on his back, his eyes reflecting his sense of purpose. But, not two minutes had he entered the city had he encounter his first opponent: Yokaiko Shigami, standing across from him at the entrance to the city. The man looked at the younger one, silently telling to move aside or else there would be trouble. Though he caught onto the message, Yokaiko didn't budge a single step or bat one eyelash. Instead, he drew the sword off his back, getting into his fighting stance.

"I'm only going to give you a single warning: Turn back now. I do not wish to fight you, or anyone for that matter," Yokaiko stated not in a tone of anger as but in a clear, level-headed tone that one would expect from a man giving the time of day, not a vague threat, "but should you choose to proceed, I'll have no choice but to force you."

Tsugumu laughed at his warning, "Are you seriously trying to scare me off with that pathetic ass threat?"

"Not a threat, a warning." He corrected him. Yokaiko disliked fighting, knowing full well that violence only bred more violence. But, when you couldn't deter a person through words, one must take action to stop a threat. And he couldn't allow this man, whoever he was, to harm Ryuko or Senkestu. No, he would stop this man at all costs, save murder.

"Whatever, not like I care." he stated, drawing the prism from his back and aiming it at Yokaiko, firing several multicolored missiles at him. Each projectile hit it's mark, shrouding him in a veil of smoke. Acting quickly, he put the weapon back onto his back and moved at an amazing speed, pulling a weird metal like object from his pocket as he leaped onto a nearby rooftop. He watched as the smoke cleared, revealing a burnt but still standing Yokaiko, who stood exactly where he was before hand, much to Tsugumu's visible shock. Yokaiko looked at him out of the corner of his eye before yelling, **"Death String Synchronize! Kamui Hokai Bound!" **Transforming into his battle state.

_'It does still exist.' _Tsugumu thought, abandoning it as he saw the boy leap at him, slashing through the roof that was where he was, having leaped away. _'And that blade, it's like Matoi's Scissor Blade. Where in hell did he find these things?'_ Once again, Yokaiko slashed at him, this time he blocked the attack with his sowing machine gun. Acting quickly, he removed the pin from his objected and leaped away, landing on the ground in time to see the explosion above him. Though the attack was strong, he knew that the boy wouldn't stay down for long, running off into the maze houses in the slums.

The smoke from the grenade cleared, showing a standing Yokaiko, seemingly unaffected by the attack. Which was not the case, as the blast from the projectile caused pain to rocket across his senses, clouding both his kind and vision. But, despite this, Yokaiko immediately gave chase to his opponent, dashing off in his direction. As he did, his uniform decided it necessary to talk.

"**You know, your endurance never ceases to amaze me." **Hokai commented, halting for only a moment when Yokaiko triggered a trap set by the opposing fighter, causing a rain of needles to fall upon him, causing pin pricks of pain to dot his body, **"You just took about thirty needles to the face after taking grenade blast, which was preceded by four missiles and you move like nothing has happened."**

"Thanks, Hokai." He told his partner, keeping an eye out for any traps that seemed to be miraculously set up by his opponent. Though annoying that he a new factor to deal with now, he had to admire his opponent for his ability in creating traps, especially in such a short time. However, he was so caught up in his thoughts that Yokaiko didn't notice wire until it was snapped, piling two more explosions onto his injuries. "Damn grenades." he swore before he dashed off again, to his Kamui's amazement

"**You've taken two more harsh blows and still you act as though nothing's happened." **Hokai added, **"Not to mention what the pain I'm causing you."**

The young man laughed to himself. _'That's true.' _He thought. It was no secret that his Kamui put more of a strain on his body than Ryuko's, but what he kept to himself was that the strain didn't go unnoticed by his body. In fact, his body reacted to the pain in the same way it would any source of danger to it's existence; by causing pain to warn the brain of the danger, the amount of which was so excruciating that a normal person would be driven mad by the pain. But, luckily for him, Yokaiko had built up a tolerance to pain from years of harsh beatings bullies would given him off school grounds. Though he knew the dangers of wearing his partner, Yokaiko would bear any pain, any burden for his friends and family.

As he dashed through the alleyways, Yokaiko tripped three more traps, causing two more explosions and another rain of needles. Still, though his body screamed at him to stop, to rest before he went too far, he kept pushing himself forward at the same pace, making his partner swell with pride that his owner wouldn't give in even to his own body, but also with worry since he could very well push himself too far. But, he knew that Yokaiko would never fall, nothing could push him back or send him flying away, no matter how many attacks he had to weather so long as he was protecting those he cared about. As he ran, Tsugumu ambushed him out of nowhere, shooting needles upon needles at him, some of which punctured the skin, causing tiny rivers of blood to flow across the valley of his pale skin. Still, he endured the attacks until the sneaky fighter had to reload. Before he could leap away, Yokaiko slashed at the blue-eyed man with a s much speed as he could muster, blocked each time by his gun. Delivering a quick kick to his abdomen, the man was able to escape the barrage of his opponent and leap away, preparing his counterattack. With a noise between growl and groan, Yokaiko gave chase once more, pushing onward.

Their next encounter appeared higher up in the slums, near the No-Star train cars, where Tsgumu ambushed Yokaiko again, this time reusing his missile launcher to inflict some damage, except this time the missiles were sliced in two before they could even make to Yokaiko. "Attacks don't always work the second time." He warned, lunging at him with his sword, each and every slice missing him by mere centimeters. He tried distracting him with a few rounds of his machine gun but Yokaiko pushed through the blizzard of needles, closing in with a downward slice so strong that it shattered the ground where he dodged. Taking that as a sign to escape, he moved out of sight, forcing Yokaiko to trudge through another gauntlet of traps, this time involving things like ball bearings on the ground, oil spilled in his path and even setting said oil ablaze for obstacles. Even so, through the fire and hard falls, he trooped through with the thought of his friend giving him the will to push forward. Once again, the two met in battle, this time while Tsugumu was halfway done setting up a trap for him, interrupting him before said trap could be finished. Yokaiko decided to use the terrain to his advantage, slicing poles to cause them to fall on him or using trash can lids as shields against his attacks. Even with these tactics infused with his normal moves, the toll from the fighting was beginning to show, his attacks starting to slow down oh so slowly and finesse of his sword skills beginning to fade. Sensing this new factor, Tsugumu retreated for a third time, forcing him to follow for the same number of times. Their fourth and final battle took place back at the train cars where the red and black haired man stood in wait as his opponent made his appearance, breathing heavily from the long fight.

"It's finally here." Yokaiko panted, "I'm finally getting rid of you."

"Is that so?" The opposing male questioned, lighting a cigarette, "We've fought three times and in all three you've failed do any sort of damage to me."

"That maybe true." He admitted, raising his arms up as far as he could, feeling like twin cylinders of lead, "But no matter how many of those grenades you set up, no matter how many needles you fire at me, nothing will stop me. I'll keep coming after you!" With a loud battle cry, he launched himself at his opponent, will alone powering his actions. But, the moment he stepped forward, the high-schooler was hit a barrage of explosions and needles, set up previously by Tsugumu, who watched the spectacle unfold before him with a small smile of satisfaction. After what seemed to be an eternity of triggered traps setting each other like a row of falling dominoes, the final blast was triggered, causing a wave of air to wash over him, not that it did anything to him. Seeing his handiwork in the form of a giant smoke cloud, he turned around and started heading up to the school. *****

"That kid was pretty tough, considering he was wearing the Akumui." Tsugumu stated, lighting another of his stashed cigarettes as he walked away. But, he felt something behind him. Moving on reflex, he was just barely able to dodge Yokaiko's sneak attack, making him growl in frustration. The older man just stared at hm incredulously, unable to believe what he was seeing. "How are you still standing?"

Yokaiko looked at him, eyes full of rage and determination. "I've had enough of you fucking bastards, thinking you can go around hurting you want for whatever shit ass reasons you have. I don't care who you are, or why you're here, or what fucking reason you have for assaulting Ryuko and Senkestu. I'm not going to let you lay a damn finger on my friends!" He yelled, emphasizing his point with a slash of his sword, letting out a cry of "MEN!" as he did; his blade just barely cutting the top of the other fighter's red Mohawk. He dashed at his opponent, slashing over and over again with some new-found strength and vigor.

"So go ahead, blast me with your grenades. ASHI!" He yelled out again, slicing at Tsugumu's legs just barely, leaving a thin red line behind on his tanned appendages.

"Shot me with your needles. KATA!" Yokaiko screamed, feeling as though he were expelling acid from his flaming lungs, cutting a vertical swipe at the man, nearly cutting the jacket off his back.

"It won't matter, I'll keep on standing and fighting until you lay on the ground, bruised and beaten! MEN! ASHI! KATA!" He finished, slicing at him with the trio of attacks. Tsugumu recovered from his initial shock and dodged each attack before they could connect.

With that, the battle waged on with Yokaiko attacking again and again with such speed and succession that Tsugumu couldn't find an opening to counter attack or escape. Instead, he did his very best to dodge and deflect his attacks, unable to do so to all as a few nicked his shoulder, face and legs, bits of blood dotting the stone floor. With a particularly strong swipe, Yokaiko lodged his blade in the side of the house, sticking itself halfway through cutting the metal. Groaning at yet another obstacle, he tried to dislodge it with all his might but before he could do so, Tsugumu pointed his gun directly at his temple and fired a single shot, the sound echoing throughout all of Honnon City. The muscly man stood over his fallen opponent, whose uniform reverted back into it's dormant state. But, that didn't mean his wearer was done, struggling like Atlas under the weight of the sky as he rose back onto his feet, glaring at the gun wielder with unwavering purple eyes, which made him smile.

"I'll admit, you're tough as nails, kid." He stated, pointing his gun square between the eyes, "Taking that many blows, not to mention under the strain of wearing the Akumui, it's downright amazing. Still, even with as much a fight you put up, you simply can't win this fight so I'd suggest backing down. Oh, and I'd like the Akumui from you too."

"Akumui?" Yokaiko repeated, unable to know whether he had heard that right or if his hearing was shutting down. He grabbed the left eye of his partner, clutching it tightly, "Is he talking about you, Hokai?" The hellfire-eyed clothing ran the word through his memory a few times before humming.

"**Yes, the word sounds familiar, as though I've heard it before. Yes, I think I might be this 'Akumui.'" **Hokai confirmed, **"I always though Kamui wasn't quite the word to describe me."**

"Fantastic." The flame-haired teen said, spatting out a wad of blood and spit, mostly blood, from his mouth. "Well, buddy. That's a no can do. Like Ryuko and Senkestu, Hokai's my friend and in hell I'll give him to some random jackass."

Tsugumu grimaced, "Here's two things that you'll find useful: 1. Don't name your parasites. 2. If you keep wearing that _thing, _you'll die. Now, give it to me." For an answer, Yokaiko though it wise to spit another wad of blood, this time in his face.

"Fuck off. I'm not giving you Hokai nor am I letting you get to Ryuko." He stated, his legs failing on his right after those words were spoken. "Fucking body." He swore, darkness claiming him soon after. Tsugumu shook his head, walking over to finish the job when, to his shock, the Akumui started to deteriorate into a pile of black sludge. Then, to make things even weirder, the sludge started to meld itself into a mass of black tendrils with a pair of flaming eye and a big maw of jagged fangs. The mass used one of his tentacle-arms to force him onto the ground, latching him their using his other tentacle as anchors. As he tried to squirm his way out of his grip, he looked up and saw the Akumui looming above him, conveying a single message through his demonic eye:

_**Harm him and I'll take your life as penance.**_

"Okay," He said, hoping that the creature would release him. Then, in the blink of an eye, it was gone, the Akumui resting on the Yokaiko's body like nothing had ever happened. Getting up, he looked at the Akumui for a few minutes before rubbing his head.

_'Knew those cigarettes were weird looking.'_ He thought to himself, making his way up to the school, leaving Yokaiko behind.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
**Yokaiko didn't know how long he had been knocked out, but it must have been for quite some time, because when he awoke from his dreamless slumber, he was no longer near the train car station but in the Mankanchou house hold, lying on his bed roll with bandages covering his body all over, with the whole family looking over him with worried expression, not to mention his sobbing little brother gripping him so tightly that he was sure that he broke whatever ribs that were still intact. It took the combined strength of of the family to pry him off and comfort of his big brother to settle him down.

"There, there." He cooed, patting the sobbing teen's head affectionately, "Don't you worry about your big bro. It'll take more than a little blood loss and a few broken ribs to stop me."

The younger of the two sniffled, wiping his running nose on his arm as looked at his brother with bloodshot eyes, "You mean it?" He whimpered. Yokaiko smiled despite the pain he was still in. Though they were strong, the two brothers really only had themselves in the world and the elder knew the though of losing his brother was too painful for Tenshi to bear alone.

"Of course." He assured him, punching him lightly on the shoulder to emphasize the point.

"Well, I wouldn't call two fractured and three broken robs, a busted up leg, and massive head trauma to be something to just brush off." Barazo said, giving his professional opinion in a very out of character tone, like one would except from a true doctor. "Not mention all the internal bleeding you've suffered. I mean, that was a lot even in my experiences as a Back-Alley Doctor. What happened, anyway?"

Yokaiko looked away from them, unwilling to get them any more involved than they already were in the private war. "I got in a big fight and lost, let's leave it at that."

Tenshi cocked his head to one side, "Wait, you got in a fight and lost? Damn, those must've been some super tough guys."

"Guy with grenades and a gun." He corrected, getting up slowly but surely, strength having returned to his body. The family tried to push him back down onto the roll but gave up as became evident he wasn't going to take it easy. Shaking his head at his older brother's foolishness, Tenshi handed him the sheathed blade he was older for it's owner. "Thanks. Where's Ryuko?"

Mako pointed behind her, "She's in the other room. Been worried sick about you ever since she got here. Gotta warn you, she pretty banged up too so be careful."

Yokaiko frowned deeply, lowering his head in shame. It seemed as though the guerrilla fighter had gone directly after Ryuko when he beat him. "How bad is she?"

"Like Mako said, pretty banged up. But I'll admit, her case was mild compared to yours." Barazo informed, much to his relief. He was so relieved that she was okay, not that it excuse his failure. Moving slowly as to not harm himself any further, he made his way out the door and into theone across the hall, opening it to see Ryuko sitting by herself in Mr and Mrs. Mankancho's cot, taking notice of him from out of the corner of her eye.

"You're awake." She observed neutrally. He nodded in response, waddling over to the cot and plopping down next to her with a snap.

"**Rib number 4."** Hokai commented, which he ignored, turning to Ryuko, noticing her own bandages.

"Seems like you fought the guerrilla man too." He said, trying to light the fire of conversation between them.

Ryuko shrugged, "Yeah, though it seems like you fought Godzilla bare ass naked."

"Funny."

"Wasn't supposed to be." She corrected, her neutral expression turning into sour rage as she turned to him, "What the hell were you thinking? I heard from Mako's dad that you're lucky to be alive!"

"Didn't you say that a duck with a stethoscope would make a better doctor?" He commented, looking her back in the eye.

"Yeah, and the duck would agree with me that you are **single stupidest person on this planet!**" She yelled, hammering the top of his head like a nail with her fist. "What sort demon possessed you to go and fight Mohawk Man!"

"Mohawk Man?" He repeated, raising an eyebrow at this.

"Shut it!" She screamed, hammering him extra hard for his stupidity.

"Ryuko, I did it to help you." He said, trying his very best to quell the dark-haired girl's rage.

"Help me? HELP ME? Do you think almost getting yourself killed is helping me? Help, by the way, I never asked for?" She yelled, grabbing his collar and slamming him into the nearest wall, "In what freakish backward world is that helpful?"

"I thought I could defeat him on my own, or at least wear him down a bit." He said, lowering his head in shame, "I just didn't want you getting hurt fighting him. Guess that was a bust, huh? Guess I couldn't catch a break."

"Break? What kind of break?" She yelled, slamming him again, "Except the one in your bones?"

"Like I said, I hoped to stop him from hurting you and Senkestu. It's not like you or him deserved any of this, you're both good people and you've shown me more kindness than most people I know." He looked into her eyes with deep, sad eyes, "I never ask much of this world. I take the shit it gives me, I endure the endless trials it throws at me. All I ask of it is to let me protect what little friends I have and it can't even give me that. It can't even let me protect what little good there is in this world" Hearing that, Ryuko frowned, dropping the poor boy.

"I-I'm sorry for yelling at you." She apologized, moved by his words, "I just don't want others to get hurt for my sake."

Yokaiko nodded, "I know how you feel, I'd be in your shoes if you did the same thing. But, even it gets you angry at me, I won't stand aside while someone threatens what little friends I have." He tried to rise back onto his feet but it seemed that his legs were ignoring him, unable to make them move. Rolling her eyes, Ryuko lifted the heavier male up onto her back.

"I understand." She said, smiling at him warmly as all the anger and worry she felt leave her body, "Let's lie you down. I don't think Mr. and Mrs. Mankanchou will care if you use their bed for one day."

"Thanks Ryuko. For everything." He said. Quiet honestly, this young woman had done more for him than anyone else. She not only gave him a friend but also someone he can relate to, someone he could talk openly with, someone whom he would willingly protect with all he had. It had been so long since he felt this way and it felt so good. Said young woman looked at him with a bright smile that warmed him to the depths of his soul.

"Sure, what are friends for?"  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Knight of Balance: Cheesy ending, I know. But, I really liked episode 5, showing us that Ryuko and Senkestu are friends and how far friends will go for each other. I was just hoping to capture the same message in Yokaiko's way. As I typed this chapter, I've realized that I've neglected Ryuko a little in terms of point of view. But I do have a good reason: We've all seen Ryuko's development through the episodes so we already know what happens with her. But, Yokaiko's the one I focus on since you have to rely on me for development on his part. I will show development on Ryuko's part, but it'll be most ;likely because Yokaiko influenced it or it doesn't happen in the series. Otherwise, I don't see a need in writing it and these chapters are getting super long. I mean, 20 pages and over 12300 words? Dear God, my last writing was 8400 or something like that. Getting really long. **

**Well, I hope you stay tuned since next we got (drumroll) Uzu's chapter next! Man, that's gonna be a great one. Well, until then, I hope you enjoyed this. If you wanna learn more about Yokaiko's insight about the world, check out YRPS: Miserable Life. If not, that's fine. Now, if you have anything to say about this chapter, leave a review. Bye!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ch.6: Brothers' Clash**

**Knight of Balance: Once again it's taken me quite a bit of time for an update. But, with a resurgence of work since summer ended has left me with less free time and a loss of motivation for awhile. But, thanks to the motivation of GirthJohnson's own work, whom I dedicate this too, I have regained my desire to write.**

**To Guest: Demanding me to get a chapter out sooner will result in a lesser product. And this fanfic is piss-poor enough.**

**Time: This chapter takes place a week after Chapter 5.  
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Akiuro Misikugi was warming up last week's soup on his hot plate since even with the Kiryuin's money, the teachers weren't getting paid enough, when his door was blown apart by a certain red-streaked teen, slamming against the wall and breaking in half. He looked over at the bisected slab of wood then over toward the one who did it, giving her a light smile. "Oh, Ryuko. It's nice to see yo-" He croaked but stopped talking when the girl stomped over to him, absolutely livid seeing as her face was hot enough to warm the soup he was going to eat. She sliced at him, busting up his hot plate and spraying soup everywhere as she missed her target. He gave just a single nanosecond to mourn his meal before scrambling for his life as Ryuko chased him around his crappy apartment, slicing and smashing anything that came between her and the man she was chasing, be it lamps, tables or chairs until she was able to corner him behind his couch, propping herself above it so she could loom her crimson weapon above him. At this moment, Yokaiko walked and observed the chase for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the odd scene. Upon seeing the calmer teen, Akiuro sighed in relief, knowing that at any moment he would calm the angrier of the two. "Oh, thank god you're here, Yokaiko. Ryuko's gone crazy!" Those were the only words he got before the younger male hit him with his sheathed blade as the female growled.

"You sure do have a pair down there, don't you, thinking you can play us?" She snarled, inching the blade closer the man with the sunglasses, confusing him. Akiuro had no idea what she was talking about, unless she had been secretly spying on him. The man chuckled, who knew Ryuko Matoi was such a pervert?

"I have no idea what you're talking." He said, chuckling in both nervousness and humor, angering her even further as she slammed her forehead against his, causing a shock wave of pain to echo throughout him. Rolling his eyes, Yokaiko drew a square of something out of his pocket, showing it to be a photo of the seedy bar that he went to. Peering closer at it, he saw what Ryuko was so angry: In the very back of the bar were his revealed self and Tsugumu. He gulped in fear as Ryuko smiled, "Try denying that, pervert."

"Wh-where did you find that?" He stammered, recognizing he was both in a corner and in deep shit. Ryuko smiled, smelling the blood in the water.

"After Mohawk Man assaulted me and Yokaiko, I had Mataro and Tenshi snoop around for some info on the guy. They seem to be pretty well connected because they were able to find this picture of you and him." She snarled again, making Yokaiko look away suspiciously. "So," she yelled, making him whimper, "You'd better start talking or else!" Akiuro looked vainly toward Yokaiko for help, met only with hostility as he raised his sheathed sword at him, silently telling him he was just as miffed about this as Ryuko. Upon seeing this He hung his head in defeat...

...before shooting back up, his hand removing the glasses, not to mention several wrinkles and his five-o-clock shadow, combing his hair in the progress as well as loosening his tie. "Well well, it seems you passed my test! Now you and Senkestu are even closer than ever!" He exclaimed happily, sparkles flashing all around him.

"What?" Ryuko exclaimed, more out of anger rather than surprise while Yokaiko looked at his homeroom teacher with visible shock, showing just how surprised he was at his transformation.

"His name is Tsugumu Kinegasi, and yes, we work for the same organization. But because of us, You! And Senkestu! Are true Partners!" He exclaimed, exposing his nipples at the first two times while on the third, they started to emit a soft pink light the same shade as the flesh, making Yokaiko wonder if Mako's mom mashed up painkillers into his breakfast. He loomed over in a rather invasive fashion as he continued to talk, "Since Satsuki Kiryuin has donned a Kamui of her own, we needed to make sure you were ready to combat her. And thanks to Tsugumu's actions, you two are even closer than e-e-e-e-e-" Akiuro cut his speech short as a dark blade was aimed directly between his eyes, courtesy of Yokaiko who, despite his normally cool exterior, looked ready to shred him into ribbons; his eyes blazing with a cold fire as he spoke.

"So you were lying after all," He stated, his voice carrying a dangerous tone, "even after all that flashing. I don't know what kind of deal you and Ryuko have," Akiuro noticed that he gave a slight glare in the girl's direction, making her glare back and him to smile. So she came in here, all angry about him keeping secrets and lying yet she herself hadn't told her friend a single thing about their agreement, "but, from what I can infer, you two want to take Satsuki's family down and you'd probably need Senkestu for that. And yet your so called ally tried to kill him."

"And you." Ryuko added quickly, ignored completely by the upset boy.

"So," he said, scrapping Akiuro's skin with his black blade, which seemed oddly familiar. No way would he find both the Akumui and that blade. That was way too coincidental, "You'd better start spilling the beans or else."

"Spill what?" He said, trying a last-ditch effort to feign ignorance, much to Ryuko's anger.

"Spill what? How about what Life Fibers are? What was my dad researching?-" Ryuko yelled to him the last part making Yokaiko more upset than before, "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!" She lunged at him, catching the blade before it could pierce his throat.

"Now, Now, Ryuko. I told you that everything would be revealed when I know that you can be trusted." He reasoned, causing the girl to rip her hand away from his grasp and grabbing the slightly open shirt, prepared to kill him in a fit of such great rage that even Yokaiko moved away. Just before she could drive the sharp point into his throat and spill his blood on the floor, he whispered two words that stopped her in her tracks: "Nuuu-diiist Beeeach."

"Wha?" The two teens said in unison, utterly caught off-guard by the duo of words.

"That's what we call ourselves. Nudist Beach!" He exclaimed once more to the anger of both teens.

"Who is we?" Ryuko growled, Yokaiko in no better of a mood than her.

"That's the name of my organization, the one that fights against the Kiryuins, Nudist-BEEEEEEACH!" He exclaimed, the windows bursting open by a gust of sudden wind, making the drapes flutter around him in a dramatic fashion. Yokaiko, overcome with anger and confusion, grabbed his sheath and moved to smack the man on the head when he suddenly stopped, his vision sudden blurring and feeling rather faint.

"What the?" He wondered before his vision went black and he fell unceremoniously onto the cold concrete floor, his mind shutting down as he did. Ryuko quickly ran to his side, trying her absolute best to revive him as Akiuro looked at him with knowing eyes. The Akumui was never meant to be worn by anyone with the immense strain it put on the human body as well as the pain that the strain caused. In fact, he hand to commend Yokaiko for his ability to wield the Akumui so well, seeing as he was able to keep up with Tsugumu so well. But, it seemed as though he had a hard time pacing himself. Ryuko huffed as she propped him onto his back, dragging his limb body away as she began to go home.

"I'm bringing Yokaiko home. Not like I'll get anything out of you asshole anyway." She commented, much to her teacher's disbelief. Hadn't he just told her the name of his organization? Did she not believe what he was saying? "I'll get stronger just as you said. Not like you'll tell me anything anyway." With that, she walked out of the door, Akiuro looking at the door with a roll of the eyes.

"I'm not the one who chose our name." He said, sighing in resignation, "Oh well, it worked either way."  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

One minute he was free-falling through darkness, the next Yokaiko awoke on one of the bed rolls in the Mankanshoku household, feelings of pain and fatigue flooding his being as he looked up at the plain ceiling. He tried to sit up onto the wooden floor but he felt something force him back onto the fabric with a groan. He looked down at the Akumui on his body with suspicious eyes. "Are you keeping me down?" He asked the clothing, glaring at him as he did.

"**Yeah, so?"** Hokai said frankly, with a slight bit of anger creeping into his tone. **"You shouldn't be pushing yourself so hard, especially after the damage you took from that Tsugumu guy." **Yokaiko grunted angrily, attempting to rise once again from his spot with the same results as before: a hard slam back onto the floor. As he looked up at the ceiling above him, waiting for something to happen to divert his attention or for Hokai to let him go, his mind wandered to the events of before, frowning deeply as he began to replay the events in his head. Why didn't Ryuko let him know about Mr. Misikugi? Why hide the fact that their homeroom teacher was an undercover agent helping them? Did she not trust him, even though they were friends? His eyes focused on the ceiling fan above him, his thoughts spiraling deeper and deeper into doubt. He knew that Ryuko originally had some trust issues with him, what with him being the brother of a member of Satsuki's Elite, but he thought they moved past that. Had he not proven to her that he was a true friend? Had he not shown his devotion to her by fighting Tsugumu? Could he call her friend when she hid something so important from him? Not to mention what else she could be hiding from him. Before his drill of despair could smash rock bottom, he heard a small creek, signaling the opening of the old door. Looking over, he saw a familiar tanned face and green eyes looking down at him with a sarcastic and jovial look in them.

"Well well, isn't this a familiar site?" Uzu laughed, sitting down next to his bed ridden brother, "You laying in a bed, bruised and aching, while I'm whole and healthy. Says something doesn't it?"

Yokaiko chuckled lightly. Leave it to his blood brother to keep him on the ground, even when he was bound to it. "Yeah, you're a pansy while I take my hits like a man." Uzu rolled his eyes at him, mumbling something about how a true man doesn't fight battles he couldn't handle, making him laugh more. The banter flying back and forth between the two of them and the simple enjoyment of each other's company brought back many old memories back before he joined Satsuki and left him behind, one in particular.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_Six Years Ago_

_Eleven Year old Yokaiko stood in Shimota Middle's gymnasium, dressed in bogu armor, looking at the bamboo sword in his hand quizzically, examining it closely as his mentor, dressed in the same armor, rolled his eyes at him. "Dude, it's just a bamboo sword, not a rifle or anything." Uzu commented with the younger male ignoring him as he slashed the air with a few clumsy strikes. "Seriously, how fascinated can a boy smart enough to skip a grade be with a basic sword?" Yokaiko looked at his new and only friend with a displeased expression on his sour face._

"_Excuse me for indulging in humanity's basic curiosity, but I've never seen a kendo match before, let alone participate in one." He growled at the elder with a look that warned him not to go any further. Uzu raised his hands in defeat, knowing better than to get into a fight with a boy tough enough to take a beating from several boys much bigger than him. After giving him the basics of a fighting stance, the two of them stood across from them each other, ready to battle. Upon the count of three, Uzu rushed at his friend with a yell of "Engarde!", unleashing a barrage of attacks at his head, body and wrists with Yokaiko doing his best to deflect and dodge the attacks with guidance of the other, the clanking of bamboo against bamboo ringing out throughout the gymnasium as their swords met again and again. After an hour of battling, the two of them halted their attacks against each other, the younger of the two panting heavily from the workout while the green-haired one smiled._

"_Well well, that was actually pretty good for a beginner." Uzu commented, grinning at Yokaiko in excitement. "Now, I hope you're ready for round 2 and remember, keep your grip tight and what the hell are you doing?!" He exclaimed, watching as the boy dismantled the armor protecting him, making fall to the ground with an unceremonious clang, leaving him only in a sweat drenched black shirt and black shorts. Yokaiko looked at him with a single raised eyebrow, curious as to why he was so surprised. The armor was so clunky and uncomfortable, preventing him from moving properly. Now, without the armor on him, he could move freely without restriction. Before Uzu could tell him that fighting in kendo without armor was a very bad idea, Yokaiko dashed at him and flooded him with a series of attacks, targeting his head, body and right wrist, surprising Uzu with the amount of effort he had to put in to block the attacks. When he managed to find a break in his attacks, Uzu tried attacking his body with a side swipe but found it blocked by his opponent's blade. He pushed the blade away with a forceful push of his own, opening the veteran of sword fighting for a trio of his own attacks. Uzu, acting on programmed instinct, slammed his bamboo sword into the side of his head. The older boy sucked in a deep breath to utter an apology to Yokaiko when he saw that the boy was perfectly fine, his head having not moved a single inch. Smiling at his endurance, he withdrew his sword and sliced at his head once more, this time foreseen and dodged by the other, counterattacking with a strike to the head and returned with a strike to his legs. Both warriors backed away from each other, preparing to strike the other down once they were ready. After a few silent seconds of observation from both sides, the duo ran up to each other and collided with a flurry of slashes, strikes and blocks; the echoing of bamboo against bamboo rising with increasing volume and intensity as the fighters blood started to boil from excitement of the battle they were engaging. Yokaiko felt Uzu's sword found its place between his ribs, sending shock waves of pain to echo throughout his body. Gritting his teeth to push the pain out of his mind, he slammed his own sword into Uzu's head. His grin widening even farther than before, Uzu slammed his sword into his thigh. With a small grunt of pain, Yokaiko swiped at his friend with the attack being deflected and the sword flung from his grasp. Uzu removed the armor from his head and gave his friend a look of admiration and flashed him a bright smile."You're a complete idiot, you know that right?" Uzu said to him, Yokaiko rolling his violet eyes._

"_Yeah, an idiot that can take a hit, unlike you." He retorted sharply, making the other boy laugh and lower his sword._

"_You know, you're a real natural with the sword. A few months of training WITH armor, and you'd be a real threat with a blade. What'd ya say?" Uzu suggested, making him tap his chin in thought. It would be nice to learn a little bit about kendo, the skills would allow him to protect his little brother even better than before; and quite honestly, he really enjoyed Uzu's company. So..._

"_Sure thing, Uzu." He answered, shaking his hand gratefully, "I'm still not wearing that armor."_

"_Yes you are."_

"_In Hell I will."  
_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Uzu gave off a hearty laugh, snapping Yokaiko out of his memories. "Jeez, Yokaiko-bro, I thought you went brain dead for a moment there!" The young man stared at his blood brother frankly, rolling his eyes at the goofiness of his kin. After the Elite Four member's laughter died down, the two of them sat, well laid in his case, in silence, a rather unusual silence filling the air between them. As this silence stretched out further and further, Yokaiko tried to think of something to say to his brother to cut through the thick silence. Then, from the calm sea of his mind, a single question arose from its depths, causing his peaceful mind to shift into a state akin to a raging storm of emotion. He wanted to say the question ever since he saw his brother again but feared that the minute the words flowed from between his lips, the nice calm between them would be forever destroyed. But, he also wanted answers and he want for these answers overpowered his will to keep the peace between them.

"Uzu-bro," He said, drawing the attention of the only other person there, "I've been meaning to ask," Uzu looked at him, wondering what he wanted to talking about, "Why did you join with Satsuki? You said that it was because you wanted to get stronger, but couldn't you have gotten stronger at home?" He looked at his brother, three years of confusion, pain and betrayal being conveyed on his face as he spoke the next quadruplet of words, "Why did you leave?"

Upon hearing his words, Uzu's happy look soured into an uncharacteristically serious one, thinking about what his brother had asked him. "There's no easy answer." He said, grasping the bamboo sword on his back, a nervous habit of his. He took a breath as he gathered his thoughts for the next couple of sentences, "We had already lost, and Satsuki was going to take us over anyway. And she also offered me a place in Honnouji Academy, so I thought it would be a good idea to take her offer."

"But how can you be okay with being a part of such a cruel and unjust system, run that bitch Satsuki?" Yokaiko pressed, his whole being filling up with repressed emotion while Uzu looked at him crossly.

"You don't know anything about Lady Satsuki or her motives." He stated, making the other brother grunt as he stood up to meet him eye to eye, purple and green staring each other down as the tension rose between them. Growling as anger overtook him, Yokaiko smashed his head against his brother's.

"Her motives mean nothing to me. No matter what is behind her actions, be they noble or not, they do not excuse what she has done. To me and the people around her." His deep voice rumbled, glaring at his older brother. Uzu, in response, pushed his head back; his sharp eyes intensifying as his anger grew even greater than before, aiming his fearsome gaze at his brother. The two of them locked themselves in a battle of wills until the intense emotion took its total on Yokaiko, suddenly going into a very nasty coughing fit that forced him back onto the ground. All of his anger dissipating from his body like water on a hot sidewalk, Uzu helped him back onto his feet, giving out a frustrated groan as he stopped coughing.

_'What were you thinking?' _He cursed himself, looking at his brother shame written across his face, _'You knew he wasn't well. You knew! And yet you still picked a fight with him!' _The former Northern Kanto Gang Leader patted his surrogate younger brother's back, guilt replacing his previous anger. Pulling up a chair in front of Yokaiko, he watched him drift in and out of consciousness before leaning over and giving a rather sudden and unseen hug.

"Uh." Yokaiko groaned, unsure what to say or do. His brother was never the huggy touchy type yet he just hugged him out of the blue for no apparent reason. He looked around, without a single clue as what to do in the situation as Uzu drew in a deep breath.

"Listen, I know I haven't been a good brother in the past, leaving you behind to go to Honnouji-"

"Uzu, you-" Yokaiko defended, cut off by a sharp squeeze on his shoulder.

"No, I was a bad brother, there's no denying that." He said, hugging him tighter than before, "But, I promise, from now on, I'll try and be a better brother to you and Tenshi." Yokaiko gulped, once again traveling uncharted waters as he was, by no means, an emotional person and yet he was filled with so many emotions trying to take control. He wasn't sure whether he should be confused at this sudden declaration, angered that he thought that would be enough to make up the three years of abandonment, or overjoyed that he now had his brother back, not to mention the turmoil he was still coping with over Ryuko's lie. He wasn't even sure what he saw Uzu as anymore; Was he still his blood brother from three years ago? Or was an enemy that he refused to acknowledge from some remnants of a family bond broken years ago? Before he even begin to comprehend the feelings he had within him or the questions that plagued his mind, the door to the room burst open as the youngest brother of the trio flew straight at Uzu, tackling him out of the hug he was giving Yokaiko. Uzu yelped as his head bounced off the wall and from Tenshi crushing his ribs.

"Uzu-bro!" He yelled, tightening his grip on his brother while he wheezed for air. Giving off a light chuckle, Yokaiko pried Tenshi off of the Elite Four member, informing him of his near homicide. Laughing nervously, Tenshi looked back to Uzu who was wheezing back to life from the bear hug.

"Strong as ever, Tenshi-bro." Uzu commented, air refilling his lungs once more. Tenshi laughed in embarrassment at his inability to control his strength when he noticed that something wasn't right. Looking behind him, seeing his brother up on his feet, the dark-haired boy got up in his face, stared into his same colored eyes and said.

"What are you doing?"

"What?" Yokaiko replied, raising an eyebrow at his intrusive brother, his head unable to unveil the meaning behind his words with all the other things on his mind. Tenshi huffed in his face, his eyes looking even angrier than before, glaring at his elder.

"You should be in bed." He said, making Yokaiko's eye twitch.

"What?" He said, more out of disbelief than anything while the musical boy got up in his face again, having to stand up on his toes to do so.

"You should be in bed, not on your feet. Does that fact that only one out of your four cracked ribs is healed mean anything to you?" Tenshi growled, making Yokaiko's expression darken and sour. Upon seeing this, Tenshi immediately backed down from him from instinctive fear, feeling the utter anger radiating from him. Even Uzu sensed this, placing a hand on his shoulder to pacify the rage following through him.

"You know he has a point, right?" Uzu said to his little brother, acting on the promise he had earlier and giving him a firm glare, "Normally a person cracks maybe one or two ribs in their life. You, however, seem to have cracked all of them at one point or another in your life."

"Yeah, you're in even worse shape than when that blonde girl pushed you into a wall when you were seven!" Tenshi added in, earning him the surprise of his green-haired brother, who couldn't help but laugh at this while Yokaiko simply blushed in embarrassment. That particular moment in his life was neither his proudest nor his best. He was just glad that the girl was no longer a part of his life. He gave both of them a scathing look, instantly lowering the laughter from Uzu down a light chuckle. As soon as that chuckle died down, Ryuko opened the door, probably to check on the purple eyed boy, when she noticed the other two family members, Uzu way more than Tenshi though. The fiery girl glared at the eldest Shigami brother, showing her obvious disdain for him. Rubbing the back of his head awkwardly, he wished his brother well before jumping out of the nearby window and into the slums of Honnon City. She looked at the window for a just a ghost of a second before aiming her scornful glare at the next in line, who simply groaned as his head began to ache. Sensing the shift in the air, Tenshi mimicked his blood brother, taking the window out while mumbling something about seeing what Nonon was up to and following Uzu's suit. As the room was emptied of its final unneeded occupant, Ryuko began to speak in a cold, angry tone.

"So, you're up." She commented coolly as Yokaiko simply groaned; think how the day could get any worse for him. Taking a couple of deep breaths to collect his thoughts, he replied simply.

"Yeah, been up for a couple minutes." He said, meeting Ryuko's glare with one of his own.

"Yeah, I can see." She replied, her mouth twisting into a frown as her expression darkened, "Had a nice little talk with the Monkey I see."

Upon hearing this, Yokaiko's rage began to burn amongst the raging sea of emotions in him, joined by guilt, confusion, and many others. "Don't call Uzu-bro that." He demanded, the tone of his voice dropping a couple of degrees from the icy anger gripping him.

"What? He screeches, hops around and flings shit like a monkey." She jabbed, making him all the angrier. Tired both physically, mentally and emotionally from the stress of the events that just happened he gave off a quick snap at her.

"Well at least I can trust him unlike a certain someone." He growled quietly, making the Akumui on him shiver from the anger in his voice. It was a rare thing for his owner to get angry this angry and even less that he would actually show it. When he got like this, things never ended well. Upon hearing that, Ryuko stomped her foot and got up in his face, making him blush at the closeness between the two.

"I'm the trustworthy one? You were just cozying up to one of Kiryuin's damn lackeys! What, did she make you an offer?" She spat in his face, attempting to stare him down once more, apparently forgetting the last time she tried that. Yokaiko's eyes widened in rage, the raging sea inside of him boiling and his heartbeat roaring in his ears. How dare she insinuate that he would work alongside Satsuki Kiryuin, a woman who had done nothing more than reduce his life to a living hell! He may love his elder brother with a great deal of what little heart he had, but even if it meant standing by him would ever stand by that bitch! He loomed over Ryuko, being quite a few inches taller than her, appearing very much like a demon with a shadow crossing over his face, hiding all but his purple eyes from her view, eyes that were filled with the fires of Hell.

"Ryuko Matoi," He said in a voice just barely above whisper, foretelling the anger he holding back, "You are my friend or perhaps not, I have yet to decide on the matter, but I will give one warning, one more than I'd give the rest of this god-forsaken world: Never, _ever, _say that I'd align with Satsuki Kiryuin." With that said, he left the speechless girl behind as he exited the room, slamming the door with enough force to rattle the entire house, and entered the slums of Honnon, stomping on the hard packed earth below as well as muttering every obscenity he knew to expel the anger that held him in its crab-like vice. Before he knew it, the sun had set, dying the sky a deep shade of blue and the anger that had once taken control of him was now gone on the sea-bound breeze, replaced only with an empty, sick feeling of guilt and regret. _'Why did I have to open my stupid mouth?'_ He questioned, reviewing the argument over and over in his head, seeing the many ways that he had screwed up the fight. Friend or perhaps not? What the hell was he thinking? Of course she was his friend! She might have not informed him about Akiuro but that minor detail wasn't nearly enough for him to stop thinking of her as a friend. Though, it did bring up the question of why he cared so much about said minor detail. Even though he openly said that the detail was minor, he didn't understand why he was so upset that she kept it from him. As he thought about the situation, his head began to ache and throb from the confusion that it caused. With that message from his brain, he found a relatively comfortable spot in an alleyway a few miles away from the Mankanchou household. Unwilling to go back there and cause another fight (or perhaps he was too cowardly), he slumped down in the alleyway, propped his back against the cold brick wall and fell into a rather fitful slumber, much to chagrin of Hokai.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Mitsuzo Soroi, the faithful butler of Satsuki Kiryuin, was in the Student Council President's kitchen, preparing his signature pot of tea while cooking his mistress' dinner, having mixed together the herbs and was now just waiting for the tea to ferment as he but on the finishing touches to the meal when he felt a presence behind him. Without turning his head or even asking who was there, he said politely, "Hello, Master Sanageyama." The intruder, Uzu of course, laughed slightly as he heard the butler greet him, It never ceased to amaze him how the butler could always tell he was there even when he did his best to conceal himself.

"Please Soroi, call me Uzu. I really don't appreciate being called 'Master Sanageyama.'" He insisted, earning him a sweet smile from the elderly servant.

"Of course, sir." He replied, removing steaming tea pot from the stove, "Master Uzu, you see that towel next to you?" Uzu looked around him until he saw a fluffy white bath robe to his left, "The Miss will be exiting the shower anytime and I'm rather busy. Would you mind bring the towel to her?"

Uzu swallowed suddenly, his mind instantly going into the gutter as his mind filled with...less than pure thoughts of his mistress. Quickly ridding his mind of these unwanted thoughts, he grabbed the towel and walked out of the kitchen, strutting through the empty halls of Satsuki's home. As he did this, his mind quickly wandered toward thoughts of his little brother, instantly feeling a heavy weight being slammed down on his shoulders. As much trouble it could cause him to associate with an out-spoken enemy of Honnouji Academy, he just couldn't leave Yokaiko alone. The relationship between the two of them was strained to say the least since he defected to Satsuki, who he disliked for her treatment of those below her. He tried to reason with him, but Yokaiko refused to listen. So, they went their separate ways. Uzu sighed, his steps slowing down as guilt weighed him down once more. Though he wouldn't regret the time he spent here with his fellow Elite Four members and Lady Satsuki, he did regret leaving Yokaiko behind. _'I should've been a better brother to him.' _He thought to himself, his mouth falling to a frown before lifting back into a smile. Now was his chance to be a better brother to him, to help the young man through his final stages of adolescence and perhaps help him finally relax. But, for now, he had a robe to deliver. He walked up to the door to the master bathroom, knocking on the door, "Lady Satsuki, you in there?"

"Sanageyama, is that you?" She replied, sounding rather surprised and..uneasy? Now that was a new one, "Where is Soroi?"

"Yeah, it's me." He said, ignoring the slight bit of uneasiness in her voice, "I came by while Soroi was making dinner. Since he was busy, he asked me to hand you this," The Athletic Committee Chair opened the door a crack, sliding the arm holding the robe in his hand, giving it over the freshly washed woman. After a few minutes, Satsuki opened the door, dressed only in her robe, and walked to main room, Uzu walking aside her. Upon reaching the room, he noticed that she spared a glance behind them. He turned around to see a rather odd display: Junkestu with various needles on it behind a very thick piece of glass. Uzu walked up to the Kamui, leaning over and staring into its eyes before the uniform leaped at him, struggling against the needles restraining it. The young man jumped back, silently uttering a string of swears. Even though Satsuki filled him and his colleges on what Kamuis were, it still freaked him out to see the article of clothing move on its own. "Freaky," He commented to the woman behind him, "Can't believe you actually wear that thing."

"It is necessary for my goals." Satsuki defended. Uzu looked behind him to see that Soroi had achieved in out-sneaking him, having served his mistress her meal and poured her a pot of tea. He shook his head at the man and walked up to Satsuki, waiting for her to finish her dinner first before talking to her about what he came here for. After a small while of waiting, the young lady finished her meal, sighing contently at her full stomach as her butler wheeled the dishes away. As soon as he exited the room, Satsuki said, "What do you want, Sanageyama?"

Uzu grinned at her, knowing full well that she knew what he wanted, the question being a simple courtesy. "Simple really, I want to fight Matoi." The leader of Honnouji Academy said nothing at first, taking a sip of tea was the only response to his answer. This gave him just a slight moment to admire her beauty, her smooth pale skin that glowed in the moonlight, long ebony hair that shone like silk and calm blue eyes that shone with unwavering determination. The kendo lover huffed at his thoughts, feeling rather ashamed as his thoughts turned back to his brother. He looked up to him as his elder brother and yet he was too cowardly to say the other reason why he left Shimota.

"Why is that?" She asked, cutting through his murky thoughts as cleanly as her Bakuza. Smirking at his mistress, he shot back in his usual confident tone.

"Need you ask? You know how hot my blood gets when I see someone strong." He pointed out, making her give a small, understanding laugh.

"You haven't changed one bit in these past three years." She commented, giving him a little blush, remembering their battle three years ago. That particular memory, the one of his complete and utter annihilation, wasn't his proudest moment.

"You said that if I joined you, I could become stronger and fight strong opponents." He said, his voice grow ever so slightly in volume, "This is my chance to do both. How can I resist?"

Satsuki took another sip of her tea before responding, "I assume you know what will happen should you lose?"

He laughed at the notion, "Me? Lose? Not possible. Not with these eyes of mine." Hearing his words, Satsuki smashed the teacup she was using and lunged at her subordinate's with the severed handle, blocked only in the final moments by his shinai. She arched one of her large eyebrows.

"Nicely blocked." She complimented, returned to her was a frown by the Northern Kanto native at her actions.

"Yeah, guess I'm only three years behind you now," He grumbled, moving the attack aside, "Those are the same movements you pulled three years ago. Holding back, weren't you?" She said nothing, slumping back into her seat once more.

"Very well, you'll have your fight." She said, making him smirk in excitement.

"Thank you, Lady Satsuki. I won't disappoint you. Who knows, when I win you can treat me to tea." He said, taking his leave while his sword itched for upcoming battle. As he left, Satsuki cracked just the smallest of smiles.

"Perhaps I will." She agreed._  
_**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yokaiko awoke cold, hungry, achy and generally worse for wear. He groaned in pain as he stood up, steadying himself with an arm against the cold stone wall. At first he wondered as to why he was sleeping in an alleyway until the memories of yesterday hit him full-force, nearly toppling him over. As limped back to the Mankanchou house, still stiff and in pain, he thought about what he was going to say to Ryuko when he got back. He was still kind of angry that she would doubt him, especially since she was the one hiding secrets from him, but the swordsman knew that he wasn't blameless in this scenario either. She had every right to be suspicious of him due to his relationship with Uzu among other things he hadn't told her. Though he wasn't exactly happy about it, he decided to apologize to her and hope that this didn't ruin their friendship. Plus, the thought of being on Ryuko's bad side gave his heart a strange and unwelcome feeling. After a considerable amount of time of limping, Yokaiko found his way back to the back-alley clinic, opening the door with a creek, drawing the attention of the leaders, who poked their heads out of the living room. Upon seeing him, they ran up to him and gave him a tight hug, much to his dismay. Until the joy of his return wore off and their previous worries kicked in.

"Where the hell have you been, mister?" Sukuyo exclaimed, pinching his cheek and making him exclaim in pain, "We've been worried about you all day!"

"Yeah!" Barazo agreed with his wife, "At one moment you were upstairs resting for once and the next you storm out of the door and never came back!"

"Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Mankanchou," Yokaiko apologized, bowing his head in forgiveness, "Me and Ryuko had a spat and I decided it would be best if I gave her some time to cool off." Barazo nodded at this.

"Normally that would be a good thing to do," He said.

"Thank you, Mr.-"

"But normally, people don't have three broken ribs and several fractured bones!" The hefty man concluded, forcing him to back down. Yokaiko stuttered as he tried to find the words to express his excuse. His voice having escaped him, he backed down and accepted the scolding. Giving a frustrated huff, Barazo set aside his worry and said, "At least you're safe. Mako, Tenshi and Ryuko will be glad to see you."

Yokaiko's eyebrow twitched, "Where they worried about me?"

"Worried about? What kind of question is that?" Sukuyo said, "Of course they were worried! We all were! Mako wouldn't stop asking about where you went and we had to restrain Tenshi to his bed so he wouldn't dash out to find you!"

"And Ryuko?" He asked, a slight hint of hope leaking through. Suyuko's frowned deepened slightly.

"She tried to not show it but Ryuko was worried about you as well. She barely ate a thing at dinner last night." Suyuko answered, making feel both relieved and sickened at the same time. Relieved that she was concerned for him but sickened for both making her worry and taking joy in the fact that she was worried. "Speaking of Ryuko, I heard she got challenged today by a member of the Elite Four." She noted, making his stomach drop as the nauseating feeling of dread entered him. No, he couldn't. They couldn't be that unlucky to have him as an opponent so early. "I think his name was...Kuzu or something like that." Yokaiko's eyes widened as his suspicions were confirmed: His blood brother Uzu had challenged Ryuko to a fight. Hokai looked at his partner in worry.

"**Yokaiko, are you alright?" **He questioned, **"Your blood just went cold."**

"Uzu," He whispered fearfully, "Why of all people did he have to challenge her?" Summoning strength from the deaths his body and mind, Yokaiko bolted out the door, ignoring the cries of the Mankanchous and ran toward Honnouji Academy with all his might, even though acid ran through him as he moved. He knew that Uzu wouldn't kill Ryuko, he wasn't a murderer or anything, but that didn't mean he wouldn't beat Ryuko to a pulp.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I'm doing it." Ryuko said to Tenshi, walking toward the Kendo Club's practice rooms for her battle against Uzu, ready to beat the ever-loving crap out of him. To say she was in a bad mood would be an understatement. Yesterday she was assaulted by three club presidents who insisted on using Mako as a hostage, then she got in a fight Yokaiko who proceeded to storm off, she got two failed quizzes and, to top things off, she hadn't seen Yokaiko all day. So, she needed to relieve some stress and Uzu Sanageyama, the root of two of her problems, seemed like the perfect punching bag. Unfortunately, Tenshi thought that this was just an all around shitty idea.

"Ryuko, I'm telling you: Don't do this." The youngest Shigami brother insisted, "Uzu-bro is a lot tougher than anyone you've ever faced before, except maybe Satsuki." She looked at the dark haired boy quizzically, as though the words he spoke made no sense. That bastard Uzu couldn't really be that tough, could he? "I know you think he's just another blowhard but 'd like to point out one simple fact that he taughtt my brother, Yokaiko, whom is your equal, how to fight!"

"Listen, thanks for the warning and everything, but I don't need it. I'll be fine." She growled at him while Tenshi rolled his eyes.

"Sure sure, Miss Attack-first-ask-questions-never." He snarked, not in his usual playful tone but in one of seriousness. Ignoring him, Ryuko found herself standing in the doorway to the practice rooms. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she busted open the door to the room, showing it to be full of spectators, all awaiting the battle to come for various reasons, with a single circle in the middle where her opponent stood. Tenshi gave her one more warning glare before joining the crowd of spectators. Watching him until he disappeared into the crowd, Ryuko turned to Uzu.

"Well well, never expected one of you Elite Chickens to actually have enough balls to challenge." She taunted, much to the apparent pleasure of her opponent, returning her gaze with his own version of it.

"Hope you're ready, Matoi!" He called out, the three stars on his Goku Uniform flashing as it activated, consuming him in a pillar of green light. The pillar shone for about a minute before Uzu leaped from the pillar, now dressed in a suit of dark green boku armor, covering him from head to toe with a pair of cylinders on his back. He loomed over the smaller girl, exclaiming, **"Three-Star Goku Uniform: Blade Regalia!" **His grey eyes shone from within the darkness of his helmet, "Kamuis aren't the only things that can transform." Ryuko smirked in response, thinking about how foolish he was. That bulky, heavy armor would only serve to make him a bigger punching bag for her.

"Thanks for the update, Captain Obvious!" She exclaimed, gripping the pin on her wrist and removing it with a twist, morphing Senkestu into his battle mode, **"Life Fiber Synchronize, Kamui Senkestu!" **In an instant, Ryuko closed the gap between them and sliced the uniform down the middle with a smirk. _'Gotcha.' _She thought with a smile, which faded with the uniform as it washed away like paint down a drain. Ryuko looked at the area around where Uzu was before, searching for it before she heard her opponent clear his throat behind her. Turning around quickly, she saw that, somehow, he had been able to move to the other end of the room in even less time than her. Growling in frustration, she leaped at him again, yelling out to him and slashing wildly. Uzu in turn dodged each and every slice with ease, not moving a single inch from his spot, before he aimed his arm at Ryuko and ejected a shinai from his uniform, slamming Ryuko in the back and flinging her back across the room. She got up from her spot on the ground and leaped at him again, met with the same attack.

"Your attacks are as predictable as you are, Matoi!" Uzu exclaimed, much to her annoyance. Oh, she'd show him predictable. Drawing upon every ounce of power she had, Ryuko ran circles and circles around her opponent so fast that there appeared to be twenty of her, something that some of the more risqué guys started to fantasize about. While she did this, Mako cheered her on from the sidelines in her own excited way.

"Yeah, Ryuko! Beat him into the ground!" She cheered loudly, hurting the ears of all those around her, beside Tenshi who rolled his eyes at her.

"It's not gonna work." He said, catching the attention of the girl beside him who gave him a 'wha?' expression. True to what he said, Uzu suddenly dashed around Ryuko, faster than even her. She looked at him as he passed by in surprise until she felt something bang against her head over and over again. Uzu laughed as he followed her around the room, hitting each and every one of her after images with one of his own, slamming his bamboo sword onto her head. Each time the sword slammed onto her head, pain rippled across her body from her head down. Uzu did this a couple of times before thwacking her across the room again.

"No matter what you do, Matoi, I can see all your moves before you even make them!" Uzu declared as she skidded to a halt, leaving her nearly bare behind exposed to a few pervy No-Stars, who pulled phones from nowhere and snapped a few pictures. Ryuko groaned at hearing the boast that the Elite Four member made, unwilling to believe that he could predict her movements, especially before she even moved. Sensing her doubt, Uzu smirked behind his helmet, "Doubt it? Then let me show you! **Secret Technique: Tenganstu!**" Uzu's eyes shrinked down to the size of pinpricks and started bouncing around erratically. Holes opened up on the shoulders, chest and back of his uniform, bouncing around with his normal eyes. "With these eyes of mine, no move you make will work against me!"

"What?!" She yelled with disbelief sprawled across her face just long enough to stick before he began thrusting his shinais at her, plumping her from every direction, forcing her to go on the defense, at least able to proficiently block the attacks. Mako watched from the sidelines fearfully as Uzu barraging her friend with attack after attack after attack, looking over to Tenshi with wide, well wider, eyes.

"Tenshi, you know this Tenwanshoe thingy right?" Tenshi opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by rough grunt from behind them.

"When the body is about to do something, _anything_, it makes a preparatory movement." Yokaiko told Mako, who was shocked to see him since he disappeared and barraged him with a wave of questions after she recovered. Tenshi, on the other hand, just gave him a stern look, silently reprimanding him for his irrational and irresponsible departure. Yokaiko glared at him back, forcing the younger brother to pack down, before he continued his explanation, "By detecting and reading these movements, one can predict what person about to do a split second before they move. The technique itself is called Tenganstu, the clairvoyance to the path of victory, and if I had to guess, Uzu-bro's Goku Uniform magnifies the technique." The two shorter teens' eyes widened at the surprise of his explanation, barely or unable in Mako's case to understand the technique.

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Mako asked him, making his brother roll his eyes at her ignorance.

"Mako, Yokaiko-bro has the Tenganstu too." Tenshi answered, looking at the lighter haired boy behind him, "Didn't you and Uzu-bro teach yourselves Tenganstu to defeat Satsuki?"

"Yes." he said, tone quickly souring more than usual.

Tenshi gave off a dry laugh, "Funny how he's now using it beat the crap out of Ryuko." He joked, making him look at him crossly. Luckily, before he could do anything, their bowel-cut companion threw herself back into the conversation.

"But if Yokaiko has this Tenshansou-"

"Tenganstu" Yokaiko corrected.

"Tienshianu, then can't he read Sanageyama's moves too?" She suggested, making Yokaiko look away and Tenshi glare at her.

"Mako, need I remind that Uzu-bro _is our brother!" _Tenshi pointed, "He's probably conflicted about how he should hope will when, let alone who he should help." His older brother let out an ashamed sigh, confirming Tenshi's words.

Meanwhile, Ryuko was doing her best to block her opponent's attacks, barely able to keep up with the speed of his thrusts. She grunted as the blunt end of his shinai found its mark in between her third and fifth ribs, blocking out the pain the best she could as another strike clipped her hair. She heard her uniform tell her to steady her block, making her a little miffed. It wasn't like it was exactly easy to block the attacks of a person who was firing off fifty strikes a minute. As a third attack hit her wrist, she wished that Yokaiko was there with her. Not only would he be a pretty big moral boast, not to mention it meant he wasn't bleeding out in an alley somewhere, but he'd be able to soak up these attacks like nothing, like that one time with the Airsoft club and those BB guns if theirs. Ryuko smiled slightly at the memory of the fight, he just stood there and took the attacks until he got bored and cut them down like paper before untying his brother Good times. "Hmph, things a little too easy for you Matoi?" Uzu asked, stopping his barrage just long enough to let her catch her breath. "Well then, maybe I'll up my game!" The instant he said this, several bumps jetted out of the cylinders on his back. Uzu sheathed the blades on his arms, reached back and attached the bumps to his hands and drew them out, showing them to be more bamboo swords. His hands started to rotate quickly while he yelled, **"Shinsabu-Shinbai Saki!" **He thrusted his whirling hands of death at her, ripping through what little defenses she had, evading each and every one of her block. Ryuko coughed and wheezed continuously as she was assaulted from all sides by the whirling sets of blades, droplets of sweat and blood flying everywhere as her body was jerked about over and over again. "I've memorized all your blocking moves. Your Scissor Blade may have the power to shred Goku Uniforms but it's worthless if you can't even hit it!"

With one last thrust of his blades, Uzu knocked her over with an unceremonious tumble, greedily gasping for breath as Uzu loomed over her, feeling just the slightest bit of pity for her. While he was rather disappointed at her amateur level of skill, he couldn't just kill her outright seeing as she was Yokaiko's friend. So, he would just beat her until she couldn't fight anymore and leave her at that under the pretense that she bored him or could prove stronger latter or some shit like that. Uzu turned around to leave until he heard Ryuko gasp out, through the pain coursing through her, "Hey, where you going Elite Chicken?" Uzu turned around, seeing that his opponent had risen back onto her feet, steadying herself with her Scissor Blade. Upon seeing this, Uzu, along with his kin in the crowd, groaned.

_'Matoi...' _Uzu growled.

_'Just stay down.' _Tenshi thought to himself.

_'Ryuko.' _Yokaiko groaned, clutching his sides.

As Uzu turned toward her again, Ryuko whispered to her uniform quietly, "Senkestu, I need you to do me a big favor." Upon knowing that he was listening, she whispered the plan to him, which he agreed to rather reluctantly.

The swordsman of the Elite Four growled in frustration at her stubbornness. _'Damn it Matoi,' _He cursed, whirling his hands up once again, _'Fine, I'll have to beat you unconscious!'_

Ryuko braced herself for the oncoming attack, awaiting the barrage of sword that would soon pummel her. The instant the attack hit her however, she lost the grip on her blade, flinging it from her grasp and even slicing off a piece of her uniform! The entire crowd gasped as they saw this transpire, thinking it the end of Ryuko. That is, until the piece of Senkestu separated into several layers, flying up into Uzu's face and obscuring his vision. Uzu was stunned for a moment at the loss of eyes, unable to comprehend the darkness that now stared back at him, until he burst out in panic and tried to pry off the scraps with his wooden swords. When that failed, he removed the swords from his hands to scrape away at the shards of Senkestu, scratching and scratching at them hoping for just a single triangle to be moved so he could see once more. Taking the most out of this fortunate opening, Ryuko extended her Scissor Blade into its **Decapitation Mode**, leaping above Uzu, yelling out the four words he feared most, "**Finishing Move: Sen-i-Soushtis!**" He let out an agonizing scream as she tore through his uniform and flinging into the air. Ryuko gave a smug smile, silently declaring her victory over Sanageyama as her partner absorbed the shredded Life Fibers, the piece that was cut earlier reforming on him. The crowd stood in stunned silence, their brains barely processing that one of the Elite Four was defeated. But, no one was as stunned as both of Uzu's brothers who gaped at the revelation.

"H-h-how?" Tenshi stuttered as his frozen mind trying to comprehend what happened while Yokaiko stood in complete and utter silence, contrasting how Mako shouted out erratic congratulations to Ryuko, making her friend smile. However, while they did this, Uzu grabbed the bamboo sword next to him on the ground, stood up onto his feet leveled his sword.

"No way, I'm giving up! Engarde Matoi!" He yelled, aiming his sword at Ryuko, who simply stared at him in amazement at his determination while Mako focused on something that was _less _impressive.

_Thwap! Thwap! Thwap! _The sound of a whip snapping in the air, smacking hard against flesh was heard. Ryuko's and Uzu's eyes widen as they saw the whip hit. Clearly, it seemed as though the attacks were meant for Uzu but before they could hit their mark, someone had moved in front of them, shielding him with his own body to protect him. "Y-yokaiko?!" Ryuko exclaimed as she saw her previously absent friend as he absorbed the attack from Uzu's attacker, Ira Gamagori, who yelled something to his intended victim about disgrace, but his words fell on surprisingly deaf ears as Yokaiko stood there. He struggled to stay upright for a few moment before his body succumb to gravity's will and fell to the ground with a grunt. Uzu looked down at his brother behind him, his expression going from stunned surprise to annoyed frustration. Turning around and picking up his younger brother, he told Ryuko in a plain, unemotional tone that was somehow scarier than his excited one, "We'll talk about this later, Matoi. I have other things to do." With this, he started to walk away slowly, leaving a stunned and confused Ryuko behind.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
**Once again, Yokaiko awoke from a still sleep, stiff and in pain, with the glaring light of a ceiling lamp shinning down on him. He lifted an arm to cover his eyes, creaking and moaning as it moved like it were made of rusty metal. He tried to sit up only to plop back down onto the bed as a sharp pain shot through him like knife between the ribs. He gave a small, audible groan as he fell back. "God, will there ever be a time that I will be able to wake up without some form of pain?"

"Not if you keep throwing yourself at danger like you do, dumbass." Groaning even more than before at the sound of the voice, Yokaiko looked to his left to see his taller female friend looking down at him from his bedside, giving him a look of anger, something was definitely not happy to see. He wanted to repair the damage he did to their relationship and the first thing he goes and do is somehow make her angry. What a great way to start it.

"Hello, Ryuko." He said, avoiding her eyes as he talked, "Surprised you came and visited me." Ryuko rolled her eyes at his comment, his heart beating faster in anxiety.

"Why would you even think that?" She growled as her face flushed with more anger than before.

"I thought you may have been still mad about what happened last night." He said, his heart thumping faster and faster as his anxiety increased. He couldn't tell if Ryuko was still angry, let alone if she had forgiven him. He prayed for the latter as she was one of his two or three friends and perhaps the only one in the world he could possibly relate to. She looked him in the eye and he saw an emotion other than anger that he didn't quite know. Guilt maybe? While he could read a person's personality rather well, emotions were much more complex and difficult, especially when it came to her.

"A little miffed still, you shouldn't have gotten all angry about me calling him Monkey when he deserved it." The dark-haired girl said, making his breath quicken in just the slightest. "But," She placed a hand over his chest, making him blush in the slightest, "I'm not that angry anymore." Yokaiko blinked a few times until his brain registered what she said, sighing one of his biggest in relief.

"Thanks Ryuko," He said, the corners of his mouth tugging into the barest form of smile. "I'd like to apologize for what I said. I shouldn't have questioned whether or not your my friend." In response to his apology, she gave a playful punch to his shoulder, causing a sharp pain to shoot across his body. _'Seems like I'm a bit more hurt than I thought.' _ Yokaiko thought to himself.

"Can't totally blame you, letting Misukgi strip in front of you without warning was a pretty dick move of mine." She admitted, smirking as he rubbed his tender shoulder. He looked at her to say that wasn't what he was angry was, he blushed at seeing her playful smile and turned away as he felt a sudden and intense warmth rise in his chest.

_'What the hell is wrong with me?' _ He thought to himself, vaguely aware that Ryuko had said something while he was well in thought. "Huh?"

"I said, you do owe me for that stunt you pulled earlier." She repeated, causing him to flip around and look at her in surprise.

"What?!" He exclaimed loudly, reverberating his broken ribs, dragging out a groan from him. Rolling her eyes at her friend, Ryuko elaborated on what she said.

"I mean, you kinda owe me for leaping out of nowhere to get your ass whipped by Gamagori." She joked, lacing her tone with a few sharp barbs of worry toward him. Hearing what she said, the flame-haired teen gave a pained groan. Looks like he wasn't completely off the hook just yet.

"Yeah, that wasn't my smartest move." He admitted reluctantly, his uniform cackling in response.

"**Oh, hohohoho! The sad thing is, it really isn't the worst move he's made." **Hokai roared, making his wearer flush in embarrassment, glad that Ryuko couldn't hear his uniform's loud declaration. However, there was one other who did understand him. Senkestu looked at Hokai with an unseen eyebrow raised at him.

"**Is that so, Hokai?" **He asked his fellow article of uniform, who gave as wide a smile he could in his current form. Yokaiko felt a shiver go down his spine, signaling that his partner was about to recount one of their previous battles, probably one of his more embarrassing ones. He glared down at him, warning the Akumui not to say a single thing. Unfortunately, Hokai gave no shits and pressed on.

"**Where do I begin?" **He mused in mocking tone, mentally stroking an imaginary beard in contemplation. Yokaiko signaled him to stop talking before he could begin his story and embarrass him. However, Hokai ignored him once again and found a good one within his memories. He laughed from the memories while his fiery eyes began to glow in anticipation, **"Oooooh, I got a goooood one! Pull up a chair, Mo, and hold onto your seems!" **Senkestu grumbled at the usage of his nickname but brushed it aside for now, **"I remember you telling me about that time you and Ryuko got in a tennis match. Well, me and Yokaiko got ourselves into a similar problem except it involved barbed wire, baseball, and a bat to the groin!"**

"You know, it's been awhile since Hokia's been washed and I was sweating bullets when I got up here," Yokaiko mentioned aloud to his friend, confusing her as to why he was mentioning this now of all times, "I think I should ask to wash him for me." Upon hearing this, Hokai's booming voice quieted down to a silent whimper, remembering the last time that the matriarch of the Mankanchou house had washed him. Whimpering in fear of his memories, the demonic uniform whimpered and told Senkestu that he might tell him another time, growing a slight smile on Yokaiko's face. Ryuko laughed herself a little at the interaction between her friend and his uniform, beginning to understand why Mako found this funny. As her laughter died down, a thought occurred to her which made her face fall a little.

"Hey, Yokaiko," She said, catching the attention of her friend who looked at her and noticed the expression on her face. "I'm...sorry that I beat your brother up, even though he deserved an ass-kicking." She looked at him, waiting what he had to say. Yokaiko frowned, his face weirdly shaped and shifting, unsure if he should be angry that she defeated and shamed his blood brother, happy that she was one step closer to beating Satsuki, or sad that his brother was shamed and defeated. He still wasn't even sure if he was angry at him for leaving him for three years or happy from his promise to be a better brother from yesterday. He settled for a neutral sigh, attempting to push the emotions aside for another day.

"It's fine, Ryuko, you did what yo had to." He reasoned equally to himself and to her, "I wish that you two didn't have to fight but, I must admit, he is ally of Satsuki's which means we'd have to battle him some time or another. But..."

"But?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. In response, he huffed in frustration at his emotions.

"I just wish we didn't have to. I can't tell whether or not to consider Uzu-bro as an enemy or as my brother still. He may have abandoned me, but he also stood by me for so long. He taught me how to fight so I could protect my little brother, he treated me as his own kin." He buried his head in his arms, his whole body shaking from the sheer emotion that began to flow through him like white-hot magma, "We both been through so much together that I can't-I can't just start seeing him as an-an-" Overcome with uncertainty and repressed, his loyalties divided between friend and family down the middle, he gave a roar of pure rage and slammed his fist against the steel wall, somehow leaving a slight but notable dent in it. Tears streamed down his face, his head splitting in two from his internal conflict as well as a possible head injury. As his emotions continued to whirl around within him, hot and primal like a firestorm, he slammed his fist against the wall again and again with all the strength he could muster from within his tired and worn body, denting the steel further and further with each and every strike. Though the steel gave in a little from each attack, his hand did to until it started to bruise and break. But still he kept going, unable to control his actions anymore, attacking without a foreseeable end. Suddenly, Ryuko grabbed ahold of him and held him close while she stroked his hair, attempting to calm her friend down. Yokaiko tried to pull away from Ryuko but what little energy he had left was burned away in his fit, leaving him tired and exhausted. After a while, the rage and confusion that once filled him to the brim was gone, leaving him empty and tired, physically and mentally. He pulled away from her grasp gentle with the last few sparks of strength with in him and looked at her with bloodshot eyes and a tired smile. "Thanks, Ryuko. Kinda lost myself there for a moment." The shorter teen crossed her arms and huffed at him.

"Well, it's alright." She said, looking at him crossly, "Just...try not to be so dramatic next time."

Yokaiko nodded slowly, "Of course, Ryuko." The girl sighed in relief.

_'Thank god,' _She thought to herself, _'Seeing Yokaiko like that was really scary.' _Ryuko would have delved deeper into her thoughts if Yokaiko hadn't started to get up from his hospital bed. She leaned over to stop him before he could hurt himself. But, pushing through the pain jetting across his body through sheer will, he sat up and slid himself from the bed, onto his own two feet. He tried to move his left foot forward, nearly tumbling down to the ground. He stopped himself from falling at the last minute, rising slowly back up before falling hard onto one knee. As he struggled to rise again, battling both his body and gravity, Ryuko dashed over to his side and helped him back up. At first he fended her off, unwilling to accept her help. He didn't need her help, or anyone else's, he could do this on his own. Soon though, he accepted her help and rose up, propped up on her back. "Jesus, could you give me a little warning next time you pull something like this." Yokaiko gave her a rare wide smile and laughed, a laughed that contained nothing else but happiness. No sadness, no harshness or even sarcasm, just happiness.

"Sure, Ryuko." He assured her, "Let's go home." Nodding in agreement, the two teens walked out of the infirmary, much to the doctor's dismay and more prominently, amazement. She thought he was dead or at least in a coma.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
**Iori looked over the specs for the new Two-Star Goku Uniforms, making sure that they were as perfect as can be when he heard the doors to his left open and close. Whipping around quickly, his body ready for battle, when he recognized who was there: Uzu Sanageyama, wrapped in bandages all over his body, his big green eyes staring out of the darkness and piercing right through him. Iori relaxed upon seeing him, having known him for three years. "Sanageyama, what are you doing here?'

"Iori, I need you to do me a favor." He said his normally jovial tone as cold and solemn as the grave. He didn't want to do this. In fact, this was perhaps one of the last things he would do. But, for what he needed, this was his only chance,, his last hope.

The Sewing Club President arched a thin, golden eyebrow. "Favor? What favor?" Uzu walked over to wear he stood and whispered what he needed him to do. Upon hearing the request, Iori took a few steps back, looking at him in utter amazement. "What? Are you sure about this?"

"Of course," He said, his voice never losing its weirdly calm tone, "I wouldn't ask this of you unless my decision was absolute." Iori nodded in understanding.

"Yes but I've never done something like this. I don't even know if the process can be reversed. I'm just making sure you're-"

"Of course I am!" He snapped, shocking his college, "But if I'm to regain Lady Satsuki's trust and defeat Matoi, then I need you to do this!" The Sewing Club President sighed, seeing that he couldn't convince him otherwise. So, he walked away to get his tools ready for the upcoming operation. As he did, Uzu looked around the Sewing Club room, memorizing every detail he could as though it would be the last thing he would see.  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Three days Later**

****"Oh god, not again." Yokaiko groaned, standing at the sides of Honnouji Academy's arena, Honnoujikia. Though he had healed rather well from the past three days, he still wasn't in the best of health. In fact, he'd rather be at home, resting and nursing his wounds but when he discovered that Ryuko had been challenged to a rematch, he immediately grabbed his sword and dashed up to the academy as fast as he could. He would've warned Mako and the others before coming up here, but he needed to get up to Ryuko as fast as he could. The thing was, the instant he saw Ryuko and Uzu standing across from each other, he moved to stop them but realized that he didn't know which one he wanted to stop. He could stop his friend, but then Uzu would assume he cared more for her rather than him. On the other hand, if he tried stopping Uzu then he would cause further damage on his friendship with Ryuko. So, he simply stood at the side, fighting an internal battle with a splitting headache when a bright light shone down from them high above. Growling deeply, he looked up while he shielded his eyes with his arm, seeing Satsuki Kiryuin standing up on her perch. Upon seeing her, his friend gave a condescending laugh.

"Well, well. Didn't know losers got second chances around here," Yokaiko bit back an automatic retort at her comment, "Guess you're just a big ol softie, Satsuki Kiryuin!"

"Let's see how soft you think I am after the fight, Ryuko Matoi." Satsuki replied. The moment that she said those words, Yokaiko felt a sick feeling blossom in his stomach. He knew this feeling all-too-well, having felt it the day that Satsuki had come Shimota: The feeling of foreboding, overwhleming dread. Something bad, incredibly bad, an insurmountable amount of badness was about to happen. Uzu broke his silence with twelve words that only deepened the deep dark pit of dread within him.

"I'll show you what happens, when you force a man to change." The stars on his new Goku Uniform flashed and he stood in a new suit of armor, which bore a great resemblance to his first except that this one was colored a bright green, lacked the cylinders on his back and seemed to be slicker and more streamlined like it was made to move faster. Ryuko grinned and activated her uniform and looked at her uniform regretfully.

"Sorry Senkestu." She told him, lifting her Scissor Blade to the corner of his patched eye. With a quick swipe of her blade, she cut off the corner and used the scraps to cover Uzu's helmet and the various eye holes all over his body. Yokaiko frowned at seeing this, drowning out Ryuko's cocky boast with his own thoughts. His brother knew that Ryuko would pull something like this from their last fight, so why would he let her do this? He wasn't one to let an opponent gain an upper hand intentionally so why would he willingly be blinded? He ran through every possible solution to the problem, crossing each one off in his head until he came across a rather disturbing one. No, he wouldn't do that to himself. Would he?

Yokaiko snapped out his thoughts when he heard Ryuko leap into the air, yelling loudly as she descended from the sky with blade ready to strike. As soon as she got close, he heard his brother mutter, "You're too loud," raising an arm directly at her and firing off one of his wooden swords which nailed her spot-on in the stomach. She flew through the air for a solid five seconds before crashing head first into one of the many stone thorn-like objects that dotted the surface of the arena. Yokaiko yelled her name out instinctively before he heard his uniform yell something.

"**Yokaiko, look!" **Hokai yelled out to him. The teen was about to ask what he was talking about when he saw it. The scraps of cloth that covered Uzu's helmet fell away, allowing everyone to see what was underneath: star-shaped scars were his eyes were. Yokaiko looked at the scars with complete surprise, barely registering the booming voice of Satsuki who explained that he gained the Shinganstu, the ability to see the world with his senses.

"Uzu-bro," He whispered, "What have you done?" The older Shigami brother didn't have long to mull this over in his head as his blood brother lumbered over to his friend started attacking her, yelling out each and every one of his attacks as though he were in some school match and not trying to beat down and/or kill his friend.

"**MEN!" **_Thwap! _ Ryuko barely blocked the attack aimed at her head.

"**DO!" **_Clang! _ Her sword rang out as it blocked the attack at her side.

"**KOTE!" **_Crack! _The nauseating sound of bones cracking echoed through the area as Uzu's sword slammed into Ryuko's wrist. She cried out in pain, to which he moved to help her but stopped after moving his foot an inch. He growled in frustration as he tried to move further only for his legs to turn to stone.

_'Damn it, move! I need to get to her!' _ He yelled to his body.

_'Why? She's fighting Uzu-bro.' _His body said back.

"**MEN! DO! KOTE!" **Uzu yelled, quickly executing his trio of attacks in such quick succession that Ryuko couldn't block even one of his attacks, being tossed around like a rag doll. She flew back from the force of the attacks, crashing into yet another stone thorn. She tried to stand up but before she could, the green-armored warrior slammed her with another trio of attacks, sending her up the thorn.

_'I need to get to Ryuko!' _One part of him cried out, struggling to move forward even in the slightest.

_'But that would mean fighting Uzu-bro.' _The other part of argued, preventing him from moving.

"**MEN! DO! KOTE!" **Uzu cried, slamming his opponent around on the stone, causing bones to crack and blood to be splattered all around the stone. He attacked her over and over without mercy or hesitation, driving her further and further up the object until he forced her to the very top where, with all of his might, Uzu launched her straight up into the air. She flew up, higher and higher, stopping only for a single moment before she came hurtling back down to the earth, crashing head first with such force that it cracked the ground around them in several directions and hurtling her sword away from her.

_'If I don't do anything, she's going to get seriously hurt.'_

_'Will hurting your brother be worth it?'_

Uzu jumped down from the stone, standing above her as she pulled herself out of the ground. "Without the blade of yours, this battle is all but over."

Ryuko struggled to get up onto his feet, her head aching from the impact. "K-keep te-telling yourself that." She said, pulling a string out of her uniform. She flung the string into the air, swerving in mid-flight and caught the Scissor Blade. The string whipped the sword around and stabbed at Uzu from behind him. However, he sensed the attack and moved out of the way, stopping behind her.

_'She's almost defeated!'_

_'But can you defeat him to protect Ryuko?'_

"I told you Matoi, I can see everything!" He declared, causing her to whip around. The instant she did, Uzu began his final barrage while Yokaiko fought himself.

"**MEN!"**

_'Let me help her!'_

"**DO!"**

_'It'll be at the cost of your brother!'_

"**KOTE!"**

_'Can you not hear her scream?'_

"**MEN!"**

_'Can __you__ not see what another defeat will do to him?'_

"**DO!"**

_'I have to protect my friend!'_

"**KOTE!"**

_'You can't fight your brother!'_

"**MEN! DO! KOTE!"**

_'She's getting beaten to a pulp!'_

"**MEN! DO! KOTE!"**

_'She can take it!'_

"**MEN! DO! KOTE!"**

_'He can suffer a loss!'_

"**MEN! DO! KOTE!"**

_'He answers to Kiryuin!'_

"**MEN! DO! KOTE!"**

_'She's my friend!'_

"**MEN! DO! KOTE!"**

_'He's your brother!'_

"**MEN! DO! KOTE! MEN! DO! KOTE! MEN! DO! KOTE! MEN! DO! KOTE! MEN! DO! KOTE!"**

_'I must!'_

_'You can't'_

"**MEN!" **He cried, slamming her down into the ground like a stake. The wild-haired teen hung onto consciousness for a minute before blacking out. Uzu stood above her and raised his sword to deliver the final blow to her. "It's over."

"_**ENOUGH!"**_

Before he could finish his opponent, the Elite Four member felt something slam into his side and force him to skit away. As soon as he stopped moving, Uzu turned around to see what, or more precisely, who attacked him. Namely, Yokaiko; who stood firmly on the ground in front of Ryuko. Before he could ask his little brother why he attacked him when he was about to end the fight, his mistress high above him did it for him.

"Shigami!" She bellowed, her light shinning brighter than before, "How dare you interrupt this battle! Explain yourself at once!" He said nothing to her, standing defiantly in front of his fallen friend, which began to anger her. "Shigami, I demand you answer me this instant!"

"Shut! Up!" He replied, glaring up at with such intensity that it caused her to stop for just a moment, a moment he used to his advantage. "Every single day I have to put up that nails on a chalkboard rasping you call a voice! It's a fucking wonder how nobody in this manure pile of a school hasn't gone deaf from your shrieking! Which, by the way, is just about the only tolerable thing about you! You talk as though you're better than we 'pigs in human clothing,' but at least we have the decency not to go around make others lives a complete hell! I mean, The Mankanchous, just about the only group of innocent people I've ever met, live in the equivalent of a twenty-year old, run-down shack that's falling apart. Which I guess is better than being in the condos or the mansions since they at least can go a day without kissing your dirty feet! And then there's Ryuko, who just wants to know what happened to her dad, nothing more and nothing less! But, being the absolute cunt you are, you decide to put her through a gauntlet of enemies every day, using Mako ninety fucking percent of the time as bait which only causes more people to end up in the slums. Just so get some entertainment! Plus, there's the little fact that you stole my closest friend, whom I call brother, and subjugated my hometown to your rule meaning I've had to deal with this shit for nearly three years! Not to mention what the Kiryuin family has done to my family before all that! So, how about you shut that mouth of yours and shove it along with the rest of your head back up your saggy ass!"

The entire area stood silent, processing the big speech that Yokaiko gave the ruler of Honnouji Academy, who gave not a single sound to break the silence until she said, "So, you stand against Honnouji Academy? Against your own brother?"

"Oh, so now you're trying to use Uzu-bro as a meat shield, huh? Typical Kiryuin tactics!" He spat, unsheathing and raising his sword not at her, but at his brother, "Sorry bitch, but that's not going to work! I may have been fighting with myself over who I should stand with. But that's no longer the case." He looked at his brother, the fires of his determination blazing within his eyes, "Uzu, you are my brother and you always will be my brother. But, I cannot stand by and let Kiryuin hurt my friend. I will fightto protect Ryuko, even if it means fighting you. I do not blame you for this as you have always looked out for me. But I have made my decision and so have you, so if we must fight then so be it."

Uzu nodded in agreement, raising his sword against him as well, "I promised to be a better brother to you, a promise I intend to keep. But for now, I must push it aside. For you are a true enemy of Honnouji Academy! Engarde, Yokaiko!"

"Engarde, Uzu!" He agreed before activating his battle mode and leaping at him with a slice. Seeing the attack coming, Uzu quickly moved out of the way, making the other swordsman land on the ground. With a yell of **"MEN!"**, He slashed at his head. But, before he could make contact, Yokaiko blocked the attack with a smirk.

"Have you forgotten that I have the Tenganstu technique? No move you make will go unnoticed!' He declared, attacking his own attack to the head with the same battle cry. This attack was met with a similar response, blocked with his wooden sword.

"No, I haven't. But it's second best to my Shinganstu!" The elder informed him.

"Maybe, but I've been spending the last three years honing mine. Let's see how it fairs to my technique!" The violet eyed one retorted.

"**DO!" **They cried in unison, Uzu slamming his sword into Yokaiko's ribs while was able to scratch his armor.

"**KOTE!" **Yokaiko deflected an attack at his left wrist and slashed at his brother's. Uzu slid to the right and slammed him so hard in the back that he was sent flying into one of the stone thorns, causing it to shatter into dust and rubble. Groaning as he stood up, he started to think about what he should. His brother was too skilled to attack head on and with his Shinganstu, he won't be able to get behind him. As the boy thought, he noticed a few little spikes sticking in the ground, no doubt from his collision with the bigger one. Seeing them, Yokaiko got an idea.

Meanwhile, Uzu awaited his brother's next attack patiently, keeping all his senses on high alert, knowing what he lacked in skill he more than made up for in determination. He moved forward to attack first when he heard whistling in the air. He quickly swiped his sword, deflecting what had been hurtling at him. He spared a moment to wonder what it was until several more of the objects, the stone spikes, came flying at him. He deflected them all on instinct, preventing a single one form hitting, which he would've celebrated if there hadn't been something else behind the last one. Yokaiko cried as he heaved the sword above him, having successfully distracted his opponent get an opening, and slashed at him all the might he had. Unfortunately, the green-armored warrior dashed away before he could do any serious damage but was able to cut the side of his armor. Returning the favor, Uzu sent Yokaiko flying once again, causing the Akumui wearer to tumble across the ground before skitting to halt, various scrapes and bruises dotting his body. As he stood back up, Uzu gave a small laugh.

"Gotta say, Yokaiko, I wasn't expecting that. Good improvisation." He complimented. In return, Yokaiko grinned despite his banged up body.

"And you've gotten even faster than before. But," He dropped into a fighting stance, one foot straight forward while the other scooted back and rested horizontal, "It'll take a lot more than a few quick blows to keep me down."

"Of course." He agreed, rushing at him and hitting him with dozens upon dozens of jabs and slices while his opponent did his best to endure the attacks, crossing his arms to block what he can. He grunted as the shinai found its way into his ribs and his thighs numerous times, waiting patiently for an opening to exploit. Eventually, after twenty minutes of this, he got tired of it and swatted the wooden sword away with a strong swipe, then aimed a jabbed at the middle of his chest before he rushed behind him and forced him onto the ground. Yokaiko scrambled away to avoid another bone-smashing blow from his brother's sword, running up to one of the stone thorns. Upon reaching it, he sliced the stone at its base, which caused it topple at Uzu who took a mere three steps to the right to dodge it. Uzu was about to comment on how obvious the tactic was but stopped when he saw the nearly story-high object be lifted up into the air by his brother by driving his arm into it and lifting it up with the help of the other arm. He was so stunned by this feat of strength that he barely noticed him swinging the stone at him until it smashed into him, sending him several hundred feet away and destroying at least half of it.

Yokaiko gasped for breath, gulping it in greedily, as he removed his arm from the stone and plopped down onto the grass surface. Hokai looked up at him, giving him a look of amazement and worry. **"That was rather impressive of you," **He commented, **"But I would suggest it another time. Your heart's thumping rather wildly." **Yokaiko looked at him with a sweat drenched face.

"Yeah, that took way too much out of me." He agreed, clutching the area were his heart was. "But, at least I did some damage to Uzu-bro."

"Yeah, you did." He heard someone comment behind them. Leaping to his feet, he turn around and lock blades with his blood brother, who seemed rather beaten up from the attack. "Even for a Kamui wearer, or Akumui wearer in your case, that was pretty cool. Seems you haven't been slacking in your training." Yokaiko responded with a lone grunt, pouring all of his strength into keeping the lock between him. His lungs burned, his arms screamed in pain, and his chest felt like it was in pieces; but he refused to give up. He shelved the pain in his mind to begin thinking through strategies for a counteract for when he broke the lock but nothing came to mind. The Akumui sensed this and a thought of his own emerged.

"**Yokaiko, I think I have an idea." **He told his partner, who spared him what little attention he could.

"Really? Then tell me." He demanded breathlessly.

"**Okay, first: break the lock and get some space." **He looked at the clothing like he was crazy, but the teen did as he was instructed and broke the blade lock, jumping back a few feet. **"Good, now I need you to focus on your sword."**

"My sword?" He questioned, unsure where exactly he was going with this. What good would focusing on his sword would do?

"**Just trust me. This will work. Focus on it like it's a part of your body." **Sighing in defeat, he poured all of his focus into his dark sword, trying to draw a mental connection between him and it like it was just another appendage. **"Good! Now, try imagining it extending like the Scissor Blade." **He growled in protest at this mental exercise in the middle of an important battle, but he obeyed, imagining his sword changing shape like Ryuko's. He heard something begin to shift and whip around like a lizard's tail moving about. He opened his eyes to see what was moving, meeting an unusual and surprising sight; his blade had changed completely, not only doubling in length but curving around inward the outward with the uppermost part of the sword rigged with sharp edges like a combat knife.

"How did you do that?" He asked his uniform, gapping at hos sword's new form.

"**Not quite sure. But, I assumed that Ryuko and Mo cab change their blade at will, why can't we?" **He answered, looking at the blade curiously. **"I think we should name."**

"The sword or the form?"

"**Why not both?" **He said with an unseen grin. Yokaiko decided he could spare a moment to give the tool that made so much possible a name. After said moment was gone, he looked at his brother with an excited look.

"**Chyron: Executioner Mode!" **He yelled, running at Uzu with everything he had. Uzu, grinning at the sword's new form, lifted his blade high up. His arm plates lifted up, creating a cannon-like hole while is sword slid in and another the same size as he ejected out from within the hole. Yokaiko stopped running a couple feet away, twisted his body around as far as it could go, raring up for one final attack.

"**Finishing Move: Isshin Zenkaiki!"**

"**Finishing Move: ****Shinigami no fināre****!"**

Their blades collided with each other, causing a huge boom to echo across the academy so strong that it kicked up enough dust to completely enshroud the arena. Uzu dropped his sword, now broken in two from the attack, drew another and swiped through the dust around him. As the dust settled and cleared, he let out a small groan. Yokaiko, along with his friend, was gone, probably had escaped when the dust temporally distracted him. Sheathing his blade, he deactivated his Goku Uniform and turned toward his leader. "Sorry, milady. They got away."

"No need, Sanageyama." She told him, "You intended to fight just Matoi, not her accomplice as well. You were out-numbered and yet you drove both away. This is your victory." Uzu took a deep breath and turned around.

"Thanks."  
**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ryuko awoke from her bed with a yell, having relived the battle from before, It took a moment of confused looking before she realized that she was back home, in her own bed in fact. She looked around for a moment, seeing that it was nighttime. She began to wonder what had happened, since the last moment she remembered was being beaten to pulp by that Sanageyama guy and now she was safe at home, when she heard fighting going on outside in the backyard. Rushing over to the nearest window; she saw Yokaiko, wrapped in bandages, standing up against what appeared to be a handmade dummy, slashing at it with his sword. Walking down from the upstairs bedroom and down to the backyard, she slowly began to approach him slowly as to not spoke him. He slashed at the dummy a few times to the head, legs and shoulders before stopping suddenly. "Ryuko, don't even bother. I can tell you're there." She chuckled a little, walking up to him as he leaned on his sword and looked at her, "So, what are you doing up so late?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." She countered, earning her an eye-roll.

"Is that really any way to talk to someone who saved your life?" He replied. Hearing this, she gave him a questioning look, silently asking him to elaborate. "Who do you think carried you out of the Academy and back home after Uzu-bro made you his punching bag, huh?"

The red-streaked girl blinked at this. "Really?"

"Yeah. I fought with Uzu for a bit before I did, though. He's gotten a lot stronger since three years ago." He commented, clutching his sides from no doubt another injury. Ryuko looked at him with a stern expression.

"Aren't you going to say something like 'Though I wouldn't have to if you just didn't rush in'?"

"For one thing, you did rush in. You didn't even notice he didn't have eyes." He scolded, "But, our fight was inevitable. We maybe brothers, but we're also enemies."

"You are?"

"Yeah, it kind of happened when I rushed in to save you, which you needed," he added as he saw her mouth open in defiance, closing as she replayed the other words.

"You're fighting against him for me?" The teen asked, unsure she heard him right.

"Yes. I was always against Satsuki's ways but she crossed a line when she tried to have you killed. Nobody, and I mean nobody, messes with my friends." He informed her, making the girl feel a little touched. She never really had any friends before, let alone ones that would fight for her.

"Thanks, Yokaiko. That means a lot." She said.

"No problem," He repiled, smiling weakly before he continued to speak, "I'm still hanging out with Uzu-bro."

"Wait, aren't you two enemies?"

"We're also brothers."

"You two aren't even related!"

"We're blood brothers."

"Is that even a thing?"

"Look it up!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Knight of Balance: And we're just gonna end it there.**

**Well, that was...exhausting. (Falls on the floor) Damn, that was tiring and time consuming, Even with all the messing around I've done, this took forever. And, I'm off. And leave a review please, it makes my day to hear your feedback. We're gonna have a couple chapters before the next episode adaptation, just so you know. Bye!**


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